


Monday's Gone and Tuesday's Faded

by shiawasena_neko



Category: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Genre: Bathing, Drug Use, Edward gets his hands, Edward is a human, Edward is an innocent bean, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hand Feeding, Hurt/Comfort, Peer Pressure, Peg Boggs is a good mom, Sexual Urges, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26974462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiawasena_neko/pseuds/shiawasena_neko
Summary: A detailed, realistic view of what Edward's life would be like if he had continued to live with the Boggs and if Kim had stayed with Jim. Told from the perspective of various characters. Rated for underage drinking and drug use.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Monday

**Author's Note:**

> This was moved over from my fanfiction.net account. I did go in and edit some minor wording issues that I didn't catch before but it's the same story. In this fic I made Edward human, which means he has the same issues any person would have, how he was taking care of himself before I don't know. But with the Boggs, he gets some help.

Monday

_Peg's Perspective_

Today starts like any other week day. The alarm goes off at 6:45. Bill turns over and hits the snooze button, allowing himself ten more minutes of sleep. But once I'm up, I'm up. I might as well get started with the day. First order of business is to pull my robe on and get my glasses.

I allow myself ten minutes to freshen up and then I head down the hall. Kevin needs to wake up now, or he'll end up missing the bus.

I open the door and walk into the room that he and Edward share. Edward is sleeping peacefully on the bottom bunk, arms crossed over his chest. He's snoring lightly. Kevin, on the other hand, is sprawled over the top bunk, arm draped over the side of the bed. I notice that he's drooling on his pillow.

"Kevin, dear," I whisper, rubbing his shoulder. "It's time to wake up."

Kevin cracks his eyes open and groans. "Mommm, let me have ten more minutes!"

I can't help but crack a smile. Kevin gets more and more like Bill every day.

"No," I whisper, "You need to get up now or you'll miss the bus. And you'd better get to the bathroom before your sister or you won't be getting in at all."

Kevin sighs. "Fine."

Quietly, he climbs down from the top, careful not to wake Edward. He walked towards his dresser, picks out an outfit, some underwear and socks for the day, and heads towards the bathroom.

Kevin is in there for fifteen minutes before coming out completely dressed and ready for the day. Thankfully, he leaves the bathroom just as Kim is waking up. She prefers to wake up on her own, using an alarm clock. I hear it go off and a few minutes later, I hear her footsteps heading down the hall. She'll be getting ready for a while, perfecting herself for a day with her peers.

Meanwhile, I've started preparing breakfast. Nothing big. Toast and a banana or apple for everyone. The kids and Bill don't eat much on week day mornings, but we do try to eat together on weekends.

Kevin comes into the kitchen and sits down, and I place a plate of buttered toast and a piece of fruit near him, along with a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks," he says, picking at his food.

"Anything going on at school today?" I ask.

"Nothing much. I think we have an English quiz, but I studied."

"Good."

Kevin's actually a pretty good student. I trust him when he says that he studied for the exam. The next few minutes are spent in silence, Kevin eating his toast and me making more of it for the rest of the family.

Seven thirty rolls around and Kevin pushes his plate away, drains the last of his orange juice, and stands up.

"I'm gonna meet Mike Tucker down the street," he says, grabbing his book bag. "We'll walk to the bus together."

"Okay," I agree, "Give me a kiss before you go."

Kevin rolls his eyes, but complies, coming over and giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Love you mom," he says, right before he leaves. I tell him that I love him too.

00

It's a little while before Bill and Kim join me. Kim's high school starts later than Kevin's middle school, so she has more time, and Bill does not have to be at work until eight thirty. I serve them toast and fruit, with orange juice for Kim and coffee for Bill.

"Got a big meeting with the board of directors today," Bill says, sipping his coffee, "If all goes well we'll get our budget approved."

"Oh, good luck!" I reply, sincerely. Kim also voices her well wishes.

"Edward has that appointment with that surgeon today, right?" Bill then asks.

"Yes. I'll be taking him for a consultation around two."

"Good, good. Let me know how it goes. I'll likely be out of my meeting by three."

"I will."

There's silence as my husband and daughter eat. Eventually, I speak up again.

"Kim, are you coming home after school today?"

Kim sighs. "I'm going to Jim's after the pep rally."

"Alright, well try to be home by ten, will you? It is a school night after all."

Kim scowls. "I'll try, mother."

"Thanks."

It's not that I want to ruin Kim's fun. I was young once, too, and all. I just want to make sure that she gets enough sleep and does well in her classes.

Bill eyes the both of us, probably wondering if some argument is going to break out. When one doesn't, he finishes his coffee, and stands up.

"Well, off to work," he says, giving me a kiss. "See you later."

"Love you," I answer.

"Love you too!"

And with that, Bill is out the door.

Kim leaves soon after, when Jim and his friends come to pick her up.

00

So now, it's just me and Edward in the house.

Most days I let him sleep in. I am fairly sure that he is up late, though what he's doing, I'm not sure of. Thinking, I guess. I get the feeling that he stays up thinking. There's a lot going on these days, so I'm sure that there's a lot on his mind.

For one, we found a doctor in Central City who was willing to work with Edward. He'd seen us on television a few months earlier, on that talk show, and had reached out to us. I'd spoken to him over the phone, and his ideas did seem promising, so today Edward and I were going to make the hour drive to see him. If all went well, Edward could have real, working hands within the next few months.

Knowing that I had a good hour or two before Edward would show his face, I began to clean up the house, making sure that everything was in its place. I washed the bathroom floor and cleaned the kitchen counter. Took out the garbage, and washed the dishes from breakfast.

I was cleaning the sink itself when I heard Edward come into the room. A glance at the clock told me that it was now 10:30 AM.

"Good morning," I greet him, smiling. As usual, his hair is splayed in all directions. He has a case of perpetual bed-head, it seems.

He smiles back at me. "Good morning."

And so, our morning ritual begins.

00

It's good that the rest of the family isn't home for this, because I think both they, and Edward would be mortified if they knew how things usually worked. I mean, I think they understand certain aspects of Edward's situation. That he needs help with certain things, because he can't do them on his own. And I think that they know that I help him. At least, they know that I help him get dressed in his pajamas at night, and I'm sure that they know that I help him get dressed in the mornings.

I doubt that they often consider the other things that I do. Like helping Edward bathe, or use the bathroom.

"You can go ahead," I tell him, nodding at the bathroom door.

He nods, and heads over. I'm right behind him, and I reach out to open the door. Though he can pick locks, it's generally easier if I open door knobs for him.

Edward shuffles in, and I follow. I close the door partially before turning to him. Then, as clinically as possible, I help him pull down his pants and boxers. He's been wearing normal clothes since I finally managed to get him out of that leather suit. It was way too hot to keep on during the summer.

"I'll be right outside," I explain, as usual. He knows where I'll be, but I tell him anyway. "Just let me know when you're done."

"Okay."

I close the door and wait, thinking about what other errands need to get done this week and when would be best to do them. Janine down the street wants to have coffee on Thursday, so that will take up a few hours in the afternoon, and I remember Barbara asking about some of the Avon products, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

Soon enough Edward's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Peg?" he asks, softly. It's so soft that I would not hear it if it wasn't on my mind to do so.

"Coming," I answer. I push the door open and walk in.

Edward is still sitting on the toilet, gaze cast towards the tiled floor. I know that he dislikes this part of the day. Can't say I blame him, I'd be embarrassed having to have someone else help me like this.

Wordlessly, I gather some toilet paper, and he stands up. I gently wipe his bottom, not making any eye contact as I do. Seeing as how I raised two children, doing things like this don't bother me all that much, but it is a bit strange helping an adult.

I throw the toilet paper in the toilet and flush it.

"Ready for a bath, then?"

Edward nods, still staring at the floor.

I reach past him and turn on the hot water, and plug the drain.

"Alrighty. You know the drill."

Edward nods again, and lets his arms hang at his sides as I unbutton his pajama top. It's easier to use button downs than regular clothes, just because it's easier to slip them off and on.

Carefully as I can, I slide the sleeves off of his hands. I call them hands, not scissors. It doesn't seem right to consistently point out how different he is. He knows it already. He doesn't need a reminder.

Once the garment is off, I discard it, along with his pajama pants and boxers into the hamper.

"Go ahead," I urge.

Edward says nothing, but climbs into the bathtub, drawing his knees up to his chest when he does.

I sit on the edge of the tub, and grab a washcloth off the hook before dipping it in the water and adding some soap.

Washing Edward's hair is out of the question. We tried it, once, in the hopes that with enough conditioner I could untangle the knots, but that had ended with Edward nearly crying and me feeling extremely frustrated. If he ever wanted his hair to be combed, we'd have to cut it off and let it grow back out.

I move to wash his face, first. Edward closes his eyes so he doesn't get any soap in them, and the process goes quickly. If it wasn't for the scars, Edward would truly have a beautiful complexion.

Next, I move on to his body. Edward is very careful to keep his hands out of the water, lest the metal begin to rust. This is why he doesn't take showers, too.

Gently, I rub the washcloth against his back, getting some soap on him and washing it off. His back is the only place that does not seem to be scarred.

Next come his arms. Again, as gently as possible, I wash them, too. Now comes the really awkward part. He knows what it is.

"Do I have to?" he whispers. I can see him blushing.

"You have to keep clean," is all I reply. Because it's true, really. People need to keep all their parts clean.

He nods, but again refuses to look at me. Then he lets his legs down, allowing me access to the front of his body.

I wash his neck, chest, and stomach, noting that there seems to be another new cut above his belly button today. I briefly wonder how that happened, and make an effort not to get soap on it because it will sting.

Then I reach down, and, again, as clinically as possible, wash his private area.

It doesn't take me long to do. Maybe fifteen seconds. Still, he usually ends up having a reaction, as I tend to put it. This time is no different. This time, though, he asks about it. He's never done that before.

"Peg?"

"Yes?" I've started washing his legs, now.

"Why does that…" he trails off, but I understand what he's talking about.

I sigh. "Well… it's normal. It happens to all men sometimes."

"Oh. It happens at night, too, sometimes."

"That's normal. It's…" I try to think of how to explain this, knowing that Edward has very limited knowledge on sex and reproduction. "It happens when a man is aroused. Often if he is attracted to a woman, or if he touches himself, or if someone else touches him."

"Oh."

"Bill can tell you more about it."

"Okay."

He's silent for the rest of the bath. When we're done, I help him up, and drain the water. I wrap a towel around him when he gets out, and I help him dry off. Since Edward is so thin, it is easy enough to tie the towel around his waist. I then help him brush his teeth. It's another thing that he can't do on his own.

After that we then head down the hall towards Edward and Kevin's bedroom.

"What do you want to wear today?" I open the drawers to show him his clothes. He studies them for a moment, before speaking.

"Blue jeans I guess. And a black shirt."

"Sure." I pull out the jeans, along with a short sleeved black button down shirt. A pair of boxers and socks, as well.

"Sit down," I instruct him.

Edward shuffles over to the bottom bunk and takes a seat. He removes the towel, allowing me to help him get his boxers up. After that, it only takes a few minutes to get him dressed.

00

Now that he's clothed, Edward seems much more comfortable. He follows me back into the kitchen.

"Breakfast time," I tell him. "What would you like?" Since we have time to eat, I usually try to make him whatever he wants.

Edward shrugs. "Oatmeal, please?"

"Sure."

I pull out two packets of brown sugar flavored oatmeal along with a banana. I add milk and cut the fruit up, making the meal just the way I know Edward likes it. When I'm done, I take a seat next to him.

This is one meal that Edward cannot eat by himself, so I pick up the spoon to feed him.

"Open up."

Edward complies, opening his mouth. He closes it as soon as I put the spoon in, and swallows after I remove it. We repeat the process until the bowl is finished.

"Thank you," he says, meekly, as I put the bowl in the sink.

"It's no problem."

There's still an hour to go before we have to leave for the consultation, so I offer Edward the chance to go outside for a bit. The boy needs all the fresh air he can get. He agrees, and goes out back to trim the bushes. Meanwhile, I enjoy the time I have by myself, reading a book in the living room.

00

The hour goes by quickly and I find myself putting my book down and going out into the yard. Edward is trimming a bush near the fence, making it look like a bunny rabbit.

"Oh, isn't that nice!" I exclaim, looking his work over. He really is talented.

Edward smiles. "Thank you."

"Well, I came to get you because we have to get going now."

"Okay."

Edward is so easy to get along with. Despite the extra work I have to do to help him, I really think he is easier to deal with than my biological kids.

We walk towards the car, and I open the door to the passenger side. I get in the driver's seat, turn the ignition, and we're on the road.

As we drive, we listen to the Oldies station on the radio. I notice that Edward seems to like songs by The Beach Boys. He bobs his head slightly to the music.

"Do you like 'Barbara Ann'?" I ask, once the song ends.

Edward nods. "It's catchy."

So, I make a mental note to see if any of my Beach Boys records are at my mother's house. If I could get the record player to work, Edward might enjoy them.

It's an hour before we hit the entrance to Central City. Now I need to look at the map, to see exactly where to go. I pull over, take it out of the glove compartment, and take a look. The hospital is only three blocks away. We make it there with half an hour to spare.

00

Edward is very quiet on the walk in, and elevator ride up to the doctor's office. He seems to be standing closer to me, which is Edward's way of being clingy. He must be nervous. I take hold of his forearm as we walk out, wanting to reassure him.

"It'll be okay. The doctor is a very nice man."

Edward simply nods, but makes no attempt to move any further from me. I guess he'll have to see for himself.

Unfortunately, things start to go wrong as soon as we enter the waiting room. It's filled with other patients, and half of them are staring at Edward. No one speaks, but I can tell what they are thinking. That he's some freak. I'm sure that Edward can sense their feelings, too.

Quickly as I can, I take the forms that we need to fill out from the receptionist, and find us two seats in the back of the room.

"Ignore them," I tell Edward, once we're sitting. "Don't let them get to you."

"I'll try," Edward whispers back.

Right then, the man who was sitting two seats away from us got up and moved. It was clear why he did. Edward says nothing, but I can hear him sigh.

At least the receptionist seems to have some pity on him. As soon as I finish filling out the forms, she shows us to a private room where we can wait.

"Doctor Hansen will be here in a few minutes," she says, smiling at Edward. "You guys can sit on those chairs over there."

"Thank you," he replies, politely as always.

The woman leaves and I can feel the tension lift slightly. It's amazing how much a kind smile can do. Edward seems less nervous overall.

"Now," I start, "When the doctor comes in, you just answer his questions honestly, okay? And if you don't understand then tell him, and we'll help you."

"Okay."

"And the doctor is very nice. I spoke to him myself a few times. So don't be nervous, alright?"

"Okay," Edward agrees, again.

00

Doctor Timothy F. Hansen enters the room less than ten minutes later.

He looks different than I thought he'd look. He's younger than I'd expected. I'd imagined a middle aged man with gray hair, but the doctor can't be older than his early thirties, and he has dark brown hair. He's quite handsome, actually.

"Hi," Dr. Hansen says, "I'm Dr. Hansen. And you must be Peg and Edward."

"Yes," we both answer at once.

"Okay. Edward, do you mind getting up on the exam table? I have a few questions to ask you and a few short tests to run."

Edward looks at me, and I tell him to go ahead. He stands up and slowly walks towards the table. Thankfully he is tall enough to get up without having to use his hands to lean back on. Not that he'd be able to do that.

"Alright, good," the doctor says. "First off, how old are you?"

Edward opens his mouth, but doesn't have an answer. I don't think he knows exactly how old he is.

So, I answer for him. "We believe that Edward was... created within the last five years, but that he he is supposed to be in his early twenties." It's strange saying that. Edward is a young man, but he technically never went through adolescence. Not physically, at least.

The doctor writes this down.

"Okay. Now...And this is a weird question, but please bear with me. Peg tells me that you were 'created'. Do you have working human organs? A heart? Lungs? Intestines?"

"I-I think so," Edward replies. "I have a pulse, I think. And I breathe."

"Do you sleep and eat?"

"Yes."

"Do you need to sleep and eat?"

"Doctor Hansen, I don't mean to cause offense," I cut in, "But Edward is human, just like you or I. We just want to find a way to help him with his hands."

"I know, I know. I'm just trying to determine how he came to be. I need to be sure that it is safe to perform an operation on him."

"I need to sleep and eat," Edward replied, seemingly unphased by the question.

"Okay. Good. Now, do you have any feeling in your blades?"

I cringe at the usage of that word, but Edward does not seem to mind. I think he must accept how he is to an extent. Probably more so than I do.

"I can control them, but I don't feel any sensation."

"Hmm. Interesting. Do you mind holding your scissors out for me? I'd like to do a test."

Edward complies, and the doctor takes out a small hammer. The type that is used to test people's reflexes. He taps one of Edward's blades with it. Edward doesn't move his hand whatsoever.

"Hmm, okay." The doctor hits him a bit harder. Still, no movement.

"Alright, then." The doctor puts the hammer down. "Just.. let me see your right arm."

Edward holds out his right arm, allowing the doctor to touch him.

The doctor runs his fingers along Edward's forearm, and down his wrist, tapping him at various spots.

"Can you feel that?" he asks, as he taps the part of Edward's wrist closest to where his scissors start.

"Yes."

"So you have feeling up until about here. Until the scissors start. Alright. Okay. I think the next step is to perform an upper extremity arterial, which means that I'm going to do an ultrasound on your arms. It won't hurt. That way, I can get an idea of exactly how far they go, and we can work from there. If what I'm thinking is correct, perhaps we can fit you with a suitable prosthetic. You may not have feeling in it, but you could move your fingers and be able to function more normally. What do you think about that?"

For the first time in a very long time, I see Edward's eyes light up.

"Really?" he asks. It's too good to believe.

"I'll have to see the results of the arterial, but if it's possible, would you want something like that? Again, you would not have feeling, just functionality."

"That would be wonderful. No one would stare at me!"

Edward is smiling, now. The doctor and I smile back.

"So, can you come back on Wednesday? We can perform the test here."

"We sure can," I agree.

"Great. Schedule an appointment with Ramona out front, and I'll see you guys then. It was great meeting you, Edward. And you too, Peg."

Edward thanks the doctor and walks towards the door.

"Go ahead," I tell him. "I just have one more question for the doctor."

Edward nods, and goes outside.

Now that we're alone, I ask the question that's been on my mind since Dr. Hansen had first contacted me.

"Doctor, I'm just concerned... about the cost of all of this. We can only afford so much."

To my surprise, the doctor smiled, and shook his head.

"This is a once in a lifetime case. I'll offer you a deal – if Edward gives consent for me to use his case in a published report, I'll do the surgery for free."

"Really?" Now it's my turn to feel disbelief.

"Absolutely."

"My goodness. Well, I'll need to talk to Edward, and we'll let you know."

"Good, good. I'll see you Wednesday, then."

"Yes. Thank you again."

With that, I also leave. We make an appointment for eleven on Wednesday, and head out.

00

By the time we get back home, Bill and Kevin have already arrived. I can see Bill's car in the driveway, and that Kevin is occupied with his friend Mike. The two are in the back yard, playing catch with a baseball.

I notice that Edward is looking at them as we walk towards the house and think that it might be a good opportunity to get a few minutes alone with Bill, to talk about the day's events.

"Do you want to go watch them?" I ask.

Edward nods, and I open the gate to the back to let him in.

"Kevin, Mike, Edward's going to watch, okay?" I call out.

I hear them reply "Okay" and I head inside. Mike is a good kid. A bit of a trouble maker, but all boys his age are. I know that he'll be nice to Edward, at least.

When I walk in, I can see Bill sitting on the sofa, going through the mail.

"Hello Bill," I say, smiling at him.

He glances up at me and smiles back. "Hello darling."

At the same time, we both as the question that's on our minds: "How'd it go today?"

We both laugh, and I offer to let Bill speak first.

"Well," he begins, "We got some good news and bad news. The good news is that the board of directors agreed to give us funding. The bad news is that it's 20,000$ less than we'd asked for, so we'll have to see about outside donations."

"Well… that's better than nothing, I guess," I answer.

Bill smiles again. "It is. How did it go with the surgeon today?"

"Good. He's a nice man. He thinks that Edward can have prosthetics. He wouldn't have feeling in his hands, but he could use them to an extent."

"That's wonderful!"

"It is. But then I asked about payment."

The smile drops off of Bill's face. "What'd he say?"

"He said that he would do the procedure free of charge, if he could publish an article about Edward's case."

"I see. I suppose we'll have to talk to Edward about that, then."

"Yes. He wants us to come back on Wednesday for another appointment."

"Alright. Well, it's better news that I thought there'd be. I was afraid that there'd be nothing they could do."

"We still have to see how the next test goes, but the doctor is hopeful."

"Good, good."

We sit together for a few more minutes, until I get up to make dinner.

00

Our evening meal is pretty good. I invited Mike to join us, and he did, and he livened up the conversation a bit. Mike's father is in the navy, and is out at sea. He told us about all the places that his father said he'd visited. Far off lands like Thailand and Japan. Edward, Bill, and Kevin all listen intently. Meanwhile, I'm busy trying to get Edward to eat the pasta I made. He seems to wrapped up in Mike's story to care about food, though.

Finally, Mike ends his tales with a statement about how one day he hopes to be an officer like his father. Like most boys, Mike idolizes his old man.

Dinner ends soon after that. I collect the plates as everyone gets up, and I start to do the dishes. As I begin to wash them, I notice that Edward is still sitting at the table. He's staring at the clock.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, putting the dish down.

"What time is Kim coming home?" he asks, softly.

"I told her that she needs to be home by ten o'clock."

"Oh."

I know that Edward has some type of crush on Kim. However, Kim has been dating Jim for quite a while. About two years now. I doubt that she'd leave him for Edward.

"She's with Jim?" Edward then asks.

"Yes, nothing new."

"Oh."

Edward sits there, still staring, for several more minutes, until I speak up.

"Edward, I think that Bill is watching television, if you'd like to go join him." I don't mind Edward's presence, but he needs to get his mind off of Kim.

Edward gets the hint.

"Alright."

Edward leaves, and I resume doing my chore.

00

Around eight, I take Mike back home. He only lives down the street but I give him a ride any way.

Kevin goes to sleep around nine, and Bill goes to bed around nine thirty. Since we have half an hour until Kim gets home, I use the chance to start our nightly routine without anyone else around.

"Edward," I say, drawing Edward's attention away from the television. "We should go get started."

Edward frowns, but agrees. He stands up, and slowly walks towards the bathroom. I follow behind, and once again help him get his pants and boxers down. This time, at least, I only have to help him pull them back up. He even managed to flush the toilet on his own.

The next step is brushing his teeth again. I put some toothpaste on his toothbrush, and hold it up. He opens his mouth and I do my best to make sure that I am thorough. When I'm done, I fill a plastic cup up with water, and hold it to his lips. I don't need to tell him what to do with it. He swishes it in his mouth and spits it in the sink.

Now, we're almost done.

"I'll go get you something to sleep in so we don't wake Kevin. You just stay right here."

"Okay." Edward literally stays in the same spot, not moving at all. He does that, sometimes. He takes things very literally.

I pull a pair of shorts and a t-shirt out of Edward's dresser, along with another set of boxers. It's a warm evening, so regular PJs might make him too hot.

"Here we go," I tell Edward, once I'm back in the bathroom.

It doesn't take long at all to get Edward out of his street clothes and into the shorts and shirt. When I'm done, I look him over. The whole outfit is too big on him. It's some of Bill's old clothes, but it works fine for sleeping.

"Okay. Ready for sleep?"

It takes Edward a few seconds to reply with an "I guess so."

I get the idea that he wants to stay up and wait for Kim to come home, but I'm not sure if that's a great idea. A lot of times she just wants to go off to her room and be left alone, so she probably wouldn't want to deal with him anyway.

My last act is helping Edward into bed. He lies down, and I pull the covers up to his chest, trying to make sure he is comfortable. Like I do for Kevin (not that he'd ever admit it), I give Edward a kiss goodnight. I've come to feel like he is one of my children, so I treat him just like I treat the others.

Then I leave, and go back to the living room to wait for Kim to come home.


	2. Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H/C is so my thing, so I had to make Edward get sick. But he will get better soon. <3

Tuesday

_Kim's perspective_

It has been a wonderful night. Jim was in a romantic mood, and after school we took a walk in the park. We stayed and talked until the sun set, and he kissed me as the stars rose in the sky. It was amazing. I felt so alive, so happy. Then we went back to his house and made love.

I didn't mean to be out so late. Both of us fell asleep, and I'm just getting home now. I'm sure mom will be angry. As usual. She can't seem to understand that I have a life and that I'm old enough not to have to abide by a stupid curfew.

Of course, I'm correct. As soon as I walk in I see her, sitting on the sofa, staring at the door.

"Kim! Where have you been?!" she starts, getting up and walking towards me.

"I fell asleep at Jim's house." Might as well be honest.

"I've been sitting here for hours, worried sick about you! I'm tired of this, Kim. From now on you'll be home by 9pm and no later, or there will be consequences!"

She's seething with anger. I can see it and feel it and hear it in her voice. I don't have anything to say to her. If she thinks that I'm going to follow her new rule, she is sadly mistaken.

"I'm going to bed now," I tell her, and continue to walk towards my room.

She follows me, and grabs my arm, stopping me before I can open the door.

"I'm serious, Kim. I'm tired of this."

That's it.

"And I'm tired of you, too! God damn! I'm seventeen years old! I can take care of myself! Stop getting all up my ass about everything!"

Hearing me yell makes her want to yell, and she does.

"Excuse me?! Who the fuck do you think you're talking to like that?!"

I've only heard mom curse once or twice, so it's clear that she's very upset right now.

The arguing causes dad, Kevin, and Edward to wake up. The three of them come out of their respective rooms to see what's going on.

I open my mouth to shout back at mom, but dad interrupts me.

"Kim, Peg, stop this. It's three o'clock in the morning. Whatever it is can wait until daylight at least!"

"Your daughter has no respect for either of us!" Peg spits out, glaring at me the whole time, "She thinks she can do whatever she wants! She didn't come until 3 AM!"

Dad looks at me, "Kim, go to bed. We'll discuss this tomorrow." His tone is stern, and I know that he's upset too, but is too tired to argue right now.

"Fine," I agree, pushing past my mom to get into my room.

Before I go in, I see dad putting his arm around mom, and Kevin start to stalk off to bed.

00

I'm lying down, thinking about all of the events of the past twelve hours, when I hear a rapping at my door. I know that sound.

"Come in, Edward," I tell him.

Edward pushes the door open with a bit of difficulty, and I feel somewhat guilty for not getting up and opening it for him.

The first thing I notice is that he's wearing an outfit that has to be at least four sizes too big for him. He's practically swimming in it. The next thing I notice is that he's paler than usual, which means that he's pretty much paper white, except for a red blush on his cheeks. Weird. I wonder if he's sick or something.

"Hi," he says, "I just wanted to see if you were okay."

I smile at him. "I'm fine. Mom just doesn't understand that I am old enough to not have a curfew. I'm sorry our argument woke you up, though."

Edward shrugs. "I wasn't sleeping."

"Oh? I thought you went to bed early."

"I go to bed but I don't sleep."

"I see. Anyway, are you okay? You look a little flushed there."

"I think so. I feel kind of cold."

"Hmmm." I stand up, walk over to him, and put my hand on his forehead. He seems taken aback by my touch. "I'm just checking to see if you have a fever," I explain. He relaxes after that.

"Do I?" he asks. Now he looks nervous.

"Do you know what a fever actually is? And you're a little warm so maybe you have a slight one."

Edward shakes his head. "I don't know what it is. Is it bad?"

"Yes and no. When you get sick, your body warms up to fight the illness. But if you have one that is too high or you have it for too long you can get even worse."

"But I feel cold," he answers.

"That happens sometimes. Even if you have a fever you might feel cold even though you're warm."

"Oh."

I can tell that he's thinking about this, and he still looks a bit unnerved.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine! All you need to do is rest for a while."

"Okay."

Seeing this as my chance to get rid of him, at least for now, I offer to take him back to bed.

"Come on, lets get you back to bed so you can get better."

"Okay."

I follow him back to his room, and pull back the blankets on his bed so he can climb in. Once he's lying down, I pull the covers back over him, tucking him in as best I can.

"Just try to sleep. You'll probably feel better after you sleep for a while."

"Okay."

I turn to leave, but stop when I hear his voice again.

"Goodnight Kim," he says, quietly.

"Goodnight Edward. Sweet dreams."

00

_Peg's perspective_

Kim must've snuck back out early this morning. I got up at my usual time and helped Kevin get ready for school. I thought she'd come out later but she never did. I checked her room, but she was gone. Probably left to avoid another argument. That's fine, though. We both need time to cool off and think rationally.

Now that Kevin's gone to school it's just Bill and I. We talk about our plans for the day. I'm telling him about how I plan to show some products to Barbara when we hear footsteps. At first I think that maybe Kim came back, maybe she found a way to get in, but when I look up I see Edward standing there. Oddly, he looks to be out of breath. And now he's leaning up against the wall. Something must be wrong.

Bill and I get up and walk over to him, and I watch as Bill puts his arm around Edward to steady him. We walk him over to the kitchen table and help him sit down.

"Are you okay?" I'm really concerned now. I've never seen Edward act like this.

Edward starts to shake his head 'no' but is interrupted by a violent coughing fit. Each time he coughs, his whole body shakes. He can't cover his mouth with his hands so he tries to use his forearm, but it doesn't do much. I end up taking a napkin and holding it near his mouth for him while Bill rubs his back.

When the fit is finally over, Edward looks completely drained. Like it's a struggle for him to even keep sitting.

"I don't feel well," he finally whispers, and I can see that there's tears in his eyes. He's not crying but I think he wants to.

"Obviously," I reply.

Bill shoots me a look, and I remind myself that I'm mad at Kim, not Edward.

"Bill, go get the thermometer, will you? We need to take his temperature." I put my hand against his forehead, "He feels like he's burning up."

My husband obliges and comes back seconds later, then hands the thermometer to me.

"Edward," I say, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "Edward, dear, we need to take your temperature. Do you understand?"

Edward nods slightly, and sniffles a bit.

"I'm going to put this under your tongue. You just close your mouth and keep it there until we tell you, okay?"

"Okay."

I put the instrument in Edward's mouth, and notice now that he's shaking. Not a lot, just a little bit, and he's got goosebumps, too.

"Are you cold?"

Edward nods 'yes', and Bill takes that as his cue to go get Edward a blanket. He grabs one of the throws from the living room and wraps it around Edward's shoulders. A few seconds later, I take the thermometer from Edward's mouth.

"103. This isn't good. Bill, he has a 103 degree fever!" I can't help but feel nervous over this.

Bill keeps calm, though. He can see how scared Edward is, and my reaction isn't helping things. He puts his hands on Edward's shoulders. "Calm down, Peg. It's alright. He's probably just got a mild case of the flu. Though how he got it at the end of Spring is beyond me."

Then it hits me. "There were sick people in the waiting room yesterday. The surgeon shares his office with a general practitioner. He must've picked it up from one of them."

Edward whimpers, and looks even more upset.

"Shh, it's okay," Bill whispers, just like he did when Kim or Kevin was sick when they were little. "You're going to be fine." He sounds confident, and the statement seems to make Edward feel a little better.

"You need to rest," Bill continues. "Do you want to go back to bed, or do you want to stay out on the sofa with Peg?"

"With Peg," Edward replies, looking at me with big, sad eyes.

"That's fine," I tell him.

Together Bill and I help Edward into the living room, and set him up on the couch. I lay out some pillows for him to use, and wrap another blanket around him.

Seeing that Edward was settled in, Bill let us know that he had to get going to work.

"Call me if there's any problems, okay?" he said, walking towards the door.

"We will."

"And Edward, you just relax. I'll see you both later tonight."

"Bye," Edward and I called out.

Sighing, I sat down next to Edward. It wasn't long before he had turned around, leaving the pillows behind in favor of resting his head on my lap instead.

00

Edward and I watch some day time television together. He's still coughing a lot, so I've taken to having a box of tissues ready to cover his mouth when he does.

Around noon, I decide that it would be good to see if I can get Edward to eat or drink something. He needs to keep up his strength. I keep hoping that this virus is one of those 24 hour deals, because if its not, we'll have to cancel our appointment with Dr. Hansen tomorrow.

As I get up to go make Edward some soup, he looks at me with an expression that shows that he feels slighted in some way.

"I'm just getting you something to eat," I tell him, "I'll be right back."

"Okay," he replies, but he continues to look sad.

In the pantry I find a large can of chicken noodle soup. I can make it homemade but this is easier. I heat it up on the stove, along with a pot of water so that I can make tea. Edward seems to like tea, so he might drink it now.

When I come back to the living room with a bowl and a large mug of tea, I find Edward still lying in the same position, and still looking pathetic. I place everything down on the coffee table, and help him sit up.

"Come on," I tell him, as I lift him up gently, "You need to get something into your system. I made you chicken soup and tea."

Edward says nothing, so I pick up the bowl of soup and start spooning it into his mouth. I guess that he must be hungry, because he finishes the whole thing. Then I pick up the mug of tea, and hold it to his lips.

"Small sips," I tell him.

He follows my directions, and slowly drinks down the tea.

"It's sweet," he says, when he's finished.

"I put honey in it to help your throat feel better."

Edward licks his lips. "I like it."

"Good," I say, smiling. "Hopefully it'll help."

After that, Edward lies down and curls up, head resting on my lap once again. I watch television while running one hand through Edward's hair. As best I can, at least. Soon enough I realize that he's fallen asleep.

00

_Bill's perspective_

Two o'clock. I swear it's the worst time of the day. It's when you start getting tired again, and you don't feel like doing any more work. I should get a cup of coffee. I'm just about to get up to do that when I hear my secretary's voice.

"Mr. Boggs, your wife is on the phone."

I wonder what she would want now.

"I'll take it."

I pick up the phone. "Hi Peg."

"Bill! You need to come home! Edward's gotten worse!" She sounds frantic.

"Okay, okay, what happened?"

"I fed him some soup and tea and he fell asleep, then the next thing I know he was up and he ran to the bathroom. I came in and he was throwing up. Then he fainted! Please come home!"

"Alright Peg, I'm on my way. Just stay with him until I get there. Stay calm. I'll see you soon."

I tell my secretary that I'm leaving for the day, and race home. Thankfully its only a ten minute drive.

00

I come home to find Peg and Edward still in the bathroom. Edward's awake, now, but he looks terrible. He's leaning back against the wall and he's pale and shaky. Peg's sitting across from him. She perks up when she sees me.

"Thank goodness! I've been so worried."

"It's okay." I kneel down next to Edward. "Edward, how are you feeling?"

"Sick." And before he can get another word out, he crawls towards the toilet and begins heaving again.

I sigh, and watch as Peg rubs his back as he gets sick. Then Edward leans forward a little further, and I notice it. The back of his shorts is wet, and there's a puddle on the floor as well.

Peg catches me looking and frowns.

When Edward is finally done, I make an effort to pull him further away so he's not sitting in his own urine. Knowing that I know what happened mortifies him.

"I'm sorry," he says, a hint of panic in his voice, "I'm sorry, I couldn't..."

"Shh, its okay," I tell him, helping him sit back against the wall again. "You couldn't control it. Its okay."

For the first time that day, Edward officially begins to cry. He's quiet about it, but I can see the tears running down his face.

Peg quickly takes a towel, and wipes up the offending liquid.

"It's okay," she tells him, "Its gone. No one is angry."

He's shaking again, now. Probably a combination of the fever and emotion.

"Peg, start some cool water, will you? We need to cool him down." And clean him up, I think, but I don't want to say that out loud.

Peg starts a bath, and I help Edward stand.

"Calm down," I say, "It's okay, we're just going to give you a bath. That's all. It'll help bring your fever down."

Edward's legs are shaky, and it takes both of our efforts to get him undressed. Peg helps him slide his shorts down and I hold him up. After we get his shirt off, I help him get into the bathtub. He almost jumps out when he feels the cold water.

"It's cold!" he yells, shivering even harder, "I want to get out!"

Peg and I hold him in place.

"I know its cold, honey," Peg says, "But you need to cool down."

Edward gives up, and just sits there, shivering for the next few minutes. Neither of us make an effort to clean him other than Peg dumping some soap into the water, creating a bubble bath.

After ten minutes, we decide that its time to get him out. He doesn't feel as hot to the touch, so maybe the bath helped.

"Okay, you can come out now." I put hands under his armpits and lift him up while Peg readies a towel. She wraps it around him as soon as he's out, and he seems extremely grateful. After that she grabs her bathrobe from the hook near the door and slips it onto his body. It's pink, but now is not the time to worry about that.

We lead him out into the hallway, both of us wondering where to bring him. He needs to lie down and we need to be able to watch him.

"Let's take him to our bedroom," I finally say, "That way I can keep an eye on him." The bunk bed he shares with Kevin is too small, and if Edward is sick at night it will keep Kevin up.

We guide him to the room. Peg pulls back the covers, and I help him into bed.

He's still shaky, but he's compliant. I take a minute to fluff his pillows up, just like I used to do for Kim when she was a little girl and had the flu. Just a little touch to make things slightly more comfortable.

Edward leans back and sighs. He reminds me very much of my kids when they were young and ill. They had that same look on their faces, one of misery. Edward also looks scared. It makes sense, though. He's probably never been sick before. He doesn't understand what is going on.

"I'm going to get him some aspirin," Peg announces, "I'll be right back."

"What's aspirin?" Edward whispers, as Peg leaves the room.

"Its a medicine to help you feel better and to bring your fever down. How do you feel right now?"

"Terrible. Everything hurts." Edward begins to cough, cutting his sentence off. When he's done he continues. "I keep coughing and my stomach hurts. My head hurts, too." He gives me a pleading look, as if silently begging me to make it better. I really wish I could.

"I'm sorry that you're in pain. I promise, you'll get better though. You need to rest. We'll take care of you. Don't worry."

Peg returns soon after with the aspirin and a large glass of water.

"Open up," she tells Edward, and she places two pills on his tongue. Then she holds the glass up to his lips. "Now drink. Try to drink as much as you can without getting sick."

Edward complies, chugging down three quarters of the glass without stopping. When he finally does, he seems out of breath.

"Just try to relax," Peg says, putting the glass down.

I volunteer to stay with him for a while. Peg agrees and leaves us be.

00

_Kim's Perspective_

I decided to come home right after school and face the music. I'd left early this morning to avoid mom, but eventually we'll have to have it out. I'm expecting to be yelled at as soon as I enter the house. Instead, I'm surprised to see mom talking on the phone, looking extremely worried. Even more surprising, she doesn't even glance twice at me as I walk past her. I catch a few words of her conversation. Something about canceling an appointment for tomorrow.

As I walk down the hall towards my bedroom, I see dad coming out the room he shares with mom. It's strange that he's home so early.

"Dad. You're home early."

Dad sighs. "Edward is very sick. Your mom called me to come help take care of him."

"Oh. That's not good. Is he okay? He looked really flushed last night."

"He's still not feeling well, but his fever has gone down a little. I was just going to get him something to drink. Gotta keep him hydrated. You can go see him if you want."

"Okay."

I poke my head inside the room and see Edward lying in bed.

"Hey," I say, and he turns to look at me.

"Hi Kim." A small smile crosses his face, though I can see that he's obviously sick and tired.

I come closer to him. "Dad said you're not feeling well. Are you okay?"

Edward coughs before speaking. "They said I'll get better soon."

"I'm sure you will." I notice that there's nothing in the room to keep Edward occupied, and I feel kind of bad. He's probably extremely bored. Then an idea crosses my mind. "When I was sick, mom and dad would read to me to get my mind off of it."

Edward half smiles again. "My father used to read to me as well."

"If you like...If you like I can go get a book and sit here with you, and read it. If you're feeling up to it."

"Yes, please. I'd like that." The way Edward's eyes light up a little suggests that he truly means that.

"I'll go get some books then. I'll be right back."

00

By the time I get back, dad has already given Edward a cup of hot tea and is finishing taking his temperature. He notes that it's down an entire degree. I explain that I'm going to read to Edward, and dad leaves us alone. I crawl into bed next to Edward, and hold the books up so he can see them.

"I brought a few choices. 'Fractured Fairy Tales', which is a bunch of fairy tales and fables. 'The Sword in the Stone', which is about King Arthur and Merlin, and 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', which is a fantasy novel." I laid them out so that Edward could see them all.

"That one looks nice," Edward said, resting one of his blades on 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'. "I like the colors."

"We can read that, then." I pick up the book, open to the first page, and begin to read.

00

Peg's perspective

Bill informed me that Kim was reading to Edward. I still wanted to talk to her, but I didn't want to interrupt them either. I figured I'd wait until later or tomorrow.

When Kim hadn't emerged for three hours, though, I decided to see if they were okay. I walked in to the room to see the sweetest thing: Kim and Kevin were sitting there, next to Edward, taking turns reading from The Wizard of Oz. Edward was lying there listening calmly. He looked better than he had all day.

Kim looked up when she heard the door open.

"Hi, mom."

"Hi kids. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"We're okay," Kevin replied.

"We're reading to Edward," Kim chimed in. "Kevin came to help too."

I couldn't help but smile. My kids may have their flaws but they are good people.

"And how are you feeling, Edward?" I ask, coming closer to him.

"I'm feeling better," he answers. He's not shaking anymore and his color has almost returned to normal.

"I'm glad. But, you know the rules. In your rooms by ten."

The three frown, but agree. I leave the room and close the door, thinking how lucky I am to have such a family.


	3. Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wee bit of angst, and Bill has the sex talk with Edward. Yay, awkwardness!

Wednesday

_Peg's perspective_

Edward's feeling better today, thankfully. He's not a hundred percent well but his fever is almost gone. For once he slept all night. Minutes after Bill and I helped him to bed he was out, and he didn't wake up until ten this morning. I guess his body needed it.

Before he woke up I had a chance to talk with Kim. Since we'd both had a chance to cool down, the talk went pretty well. She explained how she had fallen asleep at Jim's, and I explained how worried I was. We talked about her getting older and wanting more freedom, and came to the compromise that she could give up having a curfew if she agreed to call every few hours, and to let us know when she would be home.

Then I talked to Bill for a while. He was still concerned about Edward, and had offered to stay home, but I told him that it was under control. I'd checked on Edward earlier and he felt much cooler and was sleeping soundly. Bill left, but told me to let him know if Edward had a relapse. My husband is a good man, always willing to be there for his family.

Finally, it's just me and Edward again. Now we're sitting at the kitchen table, and I'm feeding him toast. I think he wants something more, but I'm afraid to give him anything more than bland food, in case his stomach is still upset.

"If you're still feeling better tonight, I'll make whatever you want, alright?" I ask.

"Okay," Edward agrees. He's very malleable. I probably could've told him simply that he wasn't going to get what he wanted, so he should shut his mouth, and he would've done so. Not that I'd ever do that.

We soon move on to other conversation.

"Are we still going to the surgeon today?" he asks, after finishing his first piece of toast.

"I canceled the appointment because I thought you'd still be sick. You still do need time to recover, anyway. I re-scheduled it for Friday."

"Oh." Edward looks disappointed, but doesn't say anything else about it.

"I promise that we will go see him," I reassure him.

"I know."

"Good." I hold up a second piece of toast, and he takes a bite. We finish eating breakfast in silence.

00

By noon it is clear that Edward is bored. I've been trying to keep him inside and resting but he won't have it. I keep finding him walking around and staring out the windows, as if wanting to go outside. Finally, I give in.

"Do you want to go in the backyard?" I ask. It's just rained recently, and now the sun is coming out. It's nice enough to where he should be okay.

"Please."

I open the door for him and he walks out. There's a rainbow visible across the street, and Edward notices it immediately. I follow him as he goes towards it.

"That's a rainbow," I explain, looking on as he stares at it in awe.

"It's pretty," he replies. "Kim said in the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' Dorothy sees a rainbow."

"Yes, and she sings a song about it, too. It's very nice."

Edward reaches out, trying to touch it, but his hand goes right through.

"I can't touch it."

"It's because it's light. When the light goes through raindrops its like a prism. It gets split up into different colors and we see a rainbow."

Even though he can't touch it, Edward remains in place staring at the rainbow until it eventually fades away.

00

Edward spends a little time out in the back, only coming in when I call him. I had spoken to Janine earlier and explained that Edward had been sick, but he was feeling better. We decided to have coffee that day at the house. Edward had always liked Janine, anyway. She's an older woman, with her kids away at school, so she tends to coddle Edward because she misses them, I think.

With an hour to go before she comes, we have a lot to do. I've just popped a batch of cookies in the oven to cook for the next half hour. In the meantime, Edward still needs a bath and I still need to do a little bit of cleaning.

When I tell him that it's time to go into the bathroom, he frowns. I think that he thought he'd gotten out of it today, because I'd been so happy that he was feeling better.

"I don't want to," he says, sounding like a fussy child.

"You need a bath every day. Don't you want to be clean for when Janine comes?"

Edward frowns but relents. He allows me to help him get undressed, at least. He's been in his pajamas all day so its time that he got some real clothes on anyway.

This time, he gets a hot bath, which he seems very grateful for. He leans back a little, still keeping his hands out of the water, but he's now in a more relaxed position.

"Do you want to relax for a little bit? I can go out and clean the kitchen and come back for you," I offer.

"Yes please," he answers.

"Sure." I wait until the water's high enough, and turn it off. "I'll be back in a bit."

I close the door and spend the next thirty minutes scrubbing the kitchen table and getting everything ready. I've got a few types of coffee to choose from and a few types of tea for Edward. After that, I get the cookies out. I've made basic oatmeal raisin cookies, with very little sugar. I don't want to give Edward anything too sweet, for fear it might make him sick again.

Now, with only half an hour left before she arrives, I wander back to the bathroom. I open the door and immediately hear the sound of snoring. Edward's asleep in the bathtub.

He looks really peaceful, but I have to wake him up before the water gets too cold. Gently as I can, I shake him awake.

"Huh?" he asks, looking around confused. "Oh. Hi Peg."

"You fell asleep in the bathtub."

"It was warm..."

"I know," I say, smirking. "But Janine's coming soon so you have to get dressed." I grab a washrag, and lather it up with soap. He looks at me like he wants to groan, but holds it back. I promise him that I'll make it quick.

After a short wash, he's all clean and is standing in the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him.

"Okay, let's get you some clothes."

We walk to the bedroom and I open the drawers. Edward chooses a pair of gray shorts and a black shirt. I help him get dressed and he slips on a pair of sandals, then he's done. Just in time, too. As soon as we walk out of the room the doorbell rings. Janine's here.

00

Janine shows up bearing various 'gifts'. She's brought two types of cookies, including Edward's favorite, double chocolate chip. She's also brought a new box of kleenex, a heat pad, a bottle of tylenol, throat lozenges, and a box of herbal tea. All for Edward, of course.

She lays everything out for him to see and he thanks her. In the meantime, I boil some water for tea and ask what type of coffee she wants.

As soon as the tea and coffee is served, Janine is immediately stuck on trying to get Edward to eat the cookies that she made.

"I don't think he should have that," I tell her, as nicely as possible.

Edward looks at me, but doesn't say anything.

"Come on, Peg," Janine says, "It's just one cookie. Or three. He's all skin and bones anyway."

"He's going to get sick. He was throwing up half the day yesterday."

Janine frowns, "Fine." But she begins feeding Edward a cookie nonetheless.

Knowing that I wasn't going to win this battle, I let it go and push on with normal conversation.

"So how's Amber?" I'm referring to Janine's twenty year old daughter, who, last I heard, was off at college in New York City.

Janine perks up at the mention of her daughter. "She's doing great! Almost finished with her nursing degree, and even better, she just got engaged!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! I need details!"

"Of course," Janine replies, picking up another cookie. "She's been dating this man named Mark for about a year. They met at school. He just graduated with his MD, and the day after the ceremony he proposed to her! It was the most romantic thing. He took her up the Empire State Building and popped the question under the stars!"

"Awww, that's so sweet!" I find myself remembering what it was like to be young and in love, then my mind drifts to the day that Bill asked me to marry him. It wasn't quite as romantic, but it was great nonetheless. "So when's the big day?"

"They're going to wait until after she graduates, so probably sometime in the winter. They've mentioned getting married on New Years Eve, which I think would be spectacular. He's a great guy, really. Very caring and compassionate. He's a pediatrician. Pretty darn good looking, too!"

We both giggle, and Edward just stares at us.

"Of course, you'll all be invited," Janine continues, "I'll send out invites as soon as we get the information."

"That'll be great, won't it Edward?" I look at him, and he forces a smile.

"I'm sure it will be fun," he replies, but he looks a bit confused. He's never been to a wedding before so he probably does not understand what it is.

"And what about Kim and Kevin?"

"Kevin's doing well. School will be out in a few weeks so he's looking for part time work this summer. Kim is... well you know how teenage girls are. She's spending all of her free time with Jim and his friends."

"So she's still with that prince?" Janine asks, smiling. Janine knows how Jim and his friends have a tendency to get into trouble.

"You know how it is. Young women love rebels," I tell her.

Janine nods in understanding. "Amber went through a similar phase. I'm sure you recall Jake McIntyre?"

"That idiot who streaked across the field at the homecoming game?"

"That'd be him. She had a thing for him for years! Thankfully she came to her senses. I'm sure that Kim will too, in time."

I sigh. "It would be great if she could find a nice guy to settle down with." Now I notice that Edward is looking at me, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"She will. She just needs to grow up a bit and meet the right guy."

Now Edward's looking at Janine. We should drop this subject. I don't want to be giving Edward any false hope. It wasn't my intent. I change the topic and we move on to discussions about the local craft fair that'll be happening next week and other town events.

00

Janine leaves about two hours after she arrived. Bill, Kevin, and Kim will be home soon, so I clean up the table and start preparing dinner. First, I remember my promise to Edward earlier.

"What do you want for dinner?" I ask. "I told you that you could have whatever you like."

"It doesn't matter."

Edward was still sitting at the table, where he'd been before. He had a strange look on his face and I couldn't help but feel worried that maybe he was feeling sick again.

"Are you alright?" I ask, coming over to him. I put my hand on his forehead, but he feels normal. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay. You just had a strange expression there."

Edward takes a breath, then speaks again.

"I have a question."

"Okay."

"What did you mean when you said that you wanted Kim to find a nice guy to be with?"

Oh. This.

"I mean, I'm nice," he continues.

I want to kick myself. I have no idea how I'm going to explain this without hurting him. Finally, I decide that it is best to be honest.

"I want her to find someone who cares about her and treats her well."

"I care about her."

"She needs someone who can provide for her, too."

As I say this I can see a look of sadness flit across Edward's face. He doesn't say anything, though.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, I'm just being truthful. I would like Kim to find a man who is not only caring but can work and take care of children, if they have any."

"You want her to be with someone normal," Edward says. He looks like a kicked puppy.

Now I feel like the worst person on earth.

"Kim would be lucky if she ended up with someone with a heart as kind as yours. And you never know, if you get the prosthetics you'll likely be able to work and have a normal life."

Edward nods, but again says nothing. He's quiet for the next few hours. As we eat dinner, he sits there, not saying a word. He studies Bill and Kevin and Kim, too. I don't know for sure what he's thinking, but I get the feeling that he's wondering what he's lacking besides normal hands.

00

_Bill's Perspective_

Edward's been staring at me all evening. It was a bit unnerving at first but it didn't take me long to figure out that something had to be wrong. Call it a parent's intuition, I guess.

For once I stay up later than Peg and the kids. My wife makes an effort to drag Edward off to bed, but I tell her to let him stay. He and I need to talk.

When everyone's gone I lead him downstairs to the bar. Edward seems wary of that place, I guess because the last time he was there there was that whole lemonade incident.

"I won't give you any hard alcohol," I mention, "Not unless you want some."

Edward ends up sitting on a stool across from me, drinking a Coke through a straw while I have a vodka on the rocks. I'll need it. God knows what's on this kid's mind.

"So, want to tell me what's bothering you?" I ask.

He thinks for a minute before answering.

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"Everything."

"What's 'everything'?" We need to start somewhere.

Edward pauses again to think.

"When you met Peg, what was it like?"

"Oh, well that was many years ago."

He looks at me, clearly wanting me to continue.

"We met at a bar. Don't tell Kim or Kevin that. I was about twenty two, and I was out with my friends Joe and Dave. We were just hangin' out down at the Town Pub. It was a Friday night, in the middle of July I believe. 'Round eleven the door opens, and a group of girls walk in. They were just hanging out like we were. Then they sat down, and I saw her. Long, straight hair, beautiful face, great figure. I had to talk to her. Just had to. So I went and bought her a drink."

"And then you fell in love?"

"I did. I knew from the minute I saw her that I wanted to be with her. Peg didn't feel the same, though. She rejected me several times. I called her every other day for a month asking her out, but she kept saying no. It drove me nuts! Then one day, I called her and told her that this would be the last time I asked her out. And faced with that, she said yes. And here we are."

"Did you have a job when you met her?"

That's an odd question. I raise an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. I was working as an associate down at C&C, back when that firm was still around. I was just starting out but I had my own apartment and my own car and all. Oh, man, Peggy loved that car. '68 Plymouth Road Runner painted lime green." I smile at the memory. That car was awesome.

"Do you think she would have dated you if you didn't?"

"Didn't what? Work?"

"Have a job and a car and an apartment."

"I don't know. Peg's a bit younger, so maybe she wouldn't have minded, but back then everyone moved out when they were young. It was rare for anyone over the age of eighteen to be living at home, so she may have expected it. Why do you ask?"

Edward looks me straight in the eyes, and suddenly I realize.

"This has something to do with Kim, doesn't it?"

"I love her. But I don't think she would want to be with me."

"Kim doesn't know what she wants. Neither do you."

I'm surprised by how insulted Edward is at this statement. I've never seen him get angry before and it's kind of strange. He's quiet, but I can see that he's upset.

"I know what I want," he insists. "I love Kim. I've loved her since I first saw her, just like you did with Peg."

"You're both kids. Why don't you just take it day by day? It's not like Kim's going anywhere any time soon and you never know where life might take you. You might end up meeting some pretty girl and being with her."

Edward shakes his head, "What if she... what if she gets married to Jim?"

"She isn't getting married until after she graduates high school, at least not if I have anything to say about it."

Edward stares at me, his expression telling me that I have not answered his question.

I sigh again. "I don't know what to tell you, Edward. If she goes and gets married to Jim then she gets married. What else is there to it? If that happens then you have to move past it. That's all you can do. You'd always have us here, to help you through it. You're loved, you know."

Edward nods, as if telling me that he knows, even if he doesn't actually say it.

It's quiet for a few minutes. Edward finishes his coke, slurping down the last of it noisily. I give him another one and enjoy the rest of my drink.

Then Edward speaks again.

"I have another question."

"Shoot."

"Sometimes when I wake up and sometimes at night and sometimes when I'm in the bathtub I get a reaction."

"A reaction?" I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Peg says it happens when a man is attracted to a woman or when someone touches him and she said that you knew more about it. But sometimes it just happens. It's annoying but I think if I had hands I could fix it."

Oh. OH. I quickly glance around, and grab the bottle of vodka. I pour myself another few shots. I'm going to need it for this conversation.

As awkward as it is, I try my best to explain it all. The whole birds and bees talk. The talk that no parent really ever wants to give but eventually has to. When it ends, I think he feels just as awkward as I do. But at least he understands it now, I guess.

It's around one in the morning before I finally head upstairs to sleep.


	4. Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peg makes Kim take Edward along while she hangs out with Jim and their friends. They get high and drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was basically my whole life in high school forever ago so I just based it on that but threw Edward in.

Thursday

_Kim's perspective_

Memorial Day weekend is coming up, so there's no school today. I love this holiday, it being the unofficial start of Summer and all. Plus the four day weekend provides the opportunity of staying out late and sleeping in.

I've already mapped out my day. I'm going to go see Jim later, and we're going to go hang out with our other friends, Boston and Liz. Of course, we'll have some alone time too. It's going to be great.

So, I'm in a good mood when I walk out of my room, ready for the day. Even the weather is perfect. It's sunny and warm and beautiful.

Then mom sees me.

"Kim!" she says, "I need to talk to you."

"O...kay," I reply, and come closer to her. She sets a bowl of cereal down in front of me, along with a cup of coffee. Then she looks around, apparently making sure that no one else is there.

"Are you seeing Jim today?" she asks.

"Yes," I answer, not sure where this is heading. If she tries to pull that curfew crap again, so help me I'll-

"I want you to take Edward with you," she says, cutting my thought off.

I'm confused, now. "Why?"

"I've gotten the impression that he feels very different than everyone else. He's also very bored here. There's only so much I can do to entertain him. I would consider it a favor if you were to take him along, even if it's just for today."

Ugh. I care about Edward and all but I don't think he'd fit in well with my group of friends. And Jim already thinks he's weird. 

"Can't you take him to a movie or something?"

Mom frowns. "You know how people stare at him."

I sigh. "He can't hang out with Kevin and his friends?"

"Kevin's thirteen. Edward should learn to socialize with people closer to his age."

My shoulders slump. Looks like I don't have much of a choice. I can't really say no. Edward is basically my brother.

"Alright, I'll take him along and I'll ask Jim to be nice."

Mom smiles. "Thank you honey!" she plants a kiss on my head, "I knew you'd agree."

"Sure, mom. It's no problem."

00

_Peg's perspective_

I'm really glad that Kim agreed to take Edward along with her today. He really needs to get out and socialize with people closer to his age. Maybe it will help him feel like less of an outcast. Plus, staying at home with me all day isn't good either. I notice that he clings to me a lot and I'd like for him to break that habit. Then again, I guess it's natural, considering all that I do for him.

Speaking of that, it's eleven o'clock. Edward isn't up yet. Bill went to work a few hours ago, and Kevin is over at his friend's house. I ought to get Edward up and ready for the day.

I find him in bed, with the covers pulled over his face and only his hair sticking out. I briefly wonder how he managed to get the covers up so high, considering his hands and all, but I guess he must've moved around while he was asleep.

I pull the blanket down and gently rub his shoulder. "Edward, it's time to get up."

He mumbles something like 'no' and continues to sleep. It's kind of cute and funny at the same time. Bill and Kevin often do the same thing.

I rub his shoulder again, a little harder, and this time he opens his eyes.

"Hi Peg."

"Good morning."

He stretches a little then sits up.

"I wanted to wake you up before it got too late. You have plans later today."

Edward looks confused. "I do?"

"Mhmm. You're going to go out with Kim today. She's going to take you along with her friends."

Edward still looks confused.

"Why?"

"Because you need to get out and socialize with people. And because she cares about you and wants to take you along." Okay, I made that very last part up.

"Really?" Edward seems excited now.

"She said that Jim's coming around two, so you should get up and have some breakfast and get dressed."

"Okay." Edward gets out of bed, and begins walking towards the kitchen.

By this point, Kim is back in her room, so it's just the two of us. Nothing new. I proceed to make Edward a bowl of cereal, and then I sit down to help him eat it.

"Where are we going today?" he asks, in between bites.

"Kim said that she and Jim were going to go see a few of her friends, and that everyone was going to watch movies."

"I like movies."

I smile, "I know. It will be nice for you to get to know them." Kim's friends can't be all that bad, right? Jim may be a little bit off but I haven't known him to be all that bad.

Edward smiles back at me.

When we're finished, I put the empty bowl in the sink and motion for Edward to get up. As we approach the bathroom, he stops walking.

"Is Kim still here?" he questions, in a soft tone.

"She's in her room."

Edward stays where he is. I can tell that he's nervous.

"I don't want her to know..." he whispers.

I'm not really sure what to do. Eventually Kim will have to find out. She has to know some things. Obviously Edward can't get dressed on his own, for instance. Finally I decide that it would be best just to keep quiet. Maybe Kim will stay in her room. Edward doesn't like it, but he has no choice.

First we do our usual bathroom and bathing routine. Kim doesn't come out, but Edward still insists that he wear his pajamas back out into the hallway, in case she sees. He's very self conscious about her seeing him without clothes on. He can't even take the idea of her seeing his bare chest. I tell him that there's nothing to worry about, but he doesn't believe me. So I help him dry off, put the pajamas back on, and we go to the bedroom.

Since this is really his first time out hanging out with Kim and her friends, he is very careful about the outfit he chooses. I end up pulling out three different pairs of jeans (shorts are out of the question, according to Edward) and five different shirts. I've never known him to be so concerned about his appearance, but I guess he wants to fit in.

"I think the black shirt and dark blue jeans look best," I tell him.

"They make me look really skinny."

"You _are_ really skinny."

Edward sighs. "I like the red shirt."

"You could always do the red shirt and the dark jeans."

He looks his options over one last time, before agreeing. I help him get dressed.

"You look good," I tell him.

He sighs again. It's clear that he's nervous.

"I've never had to do this," he says.

I can't help but feel bad for him. I grew up and learned how to dress and act over the course of my adolescence. It comes naturally to me because of that. Edward has not had that opportunity, so it makes sense that he would worry over how he looks.

"You look fine. You're going to have a good time," I try to reassure him.

"I hope you're right," he replies.

00

_Kim's perspective_

Jim picks us up at two o'clock. I've asked him to be nice to Edward, and he agrees, albeit reluctantly. He's never really liked Edward, but I've promised him that I'd 'return the favor' later, so I think he'll be okay.

When we get out to Jim's van, I open the door for Edward and let him in. Then I get in the front seat next to Jim. We decide to go visit Boston and Liz since spending time alone isn't really an option.

Boston and Liz are a little older and they have their own apartment on the crappy side of town. It's not much, but it's a place where we can hang out without parents getting in the way. The entire ride there, Jim blasts the radio, tapping out the beat to "Sweet Child o' Mine" as he drives. I glance behind me and see that Edward is also enjoying the music. He's lightly tapping one of his blades against his knee, though the rhythm is off.

When we finally arrive I get out and open the door for Edward. Jim's watching, and I see him smirk, but he says nothing.

Now that we're here, there's something that I need to talk to Edward about.

"Edward," I say, as we walk up the stairs towards the apartment, "You need to promise me something."

This catches Edward's attention, and he slows down to wait for me to walk beside him.

"When we go up to see Liz and Boston, we're probably gonna blaze. Do you know what that is?"

"No. I thought Peg said that we were going to watch movies?"

I'm not surprised by this question. I did tell mom earlier that we would be watching movies.

"Well... we are going to watch a movie, but we're going to smoke pot. You need to promise me that you won't tell mom and dad about that."

Edward seems confused. "Is smoking pot a bad thing?"

I am fairly sure that Edward really has no idea what pot actually is.

"It's not really bad, per say, but mom and dad won't be happy if they find out. In fact, they'll probably never let you come out with us again if they do. You wouldn't want that, right?" I know it's kind of a shitty way to force him into keeping his mouth shut, but it needs to be done. I'm not going to lose my freedom because of him.

Edward shakes his head 'no', upset at the thought of losing the privilege of having friends. "I promise I won't tell," he says, and I believe him.

After walking up three flights of stairs, we get to the apartment and knock on the door. Boston answers, dressed only in a pair of shorts and a wife beater.

"Heyyy," Boston says, pulling me into a hug. He waves at Jim and then looks at Edward. "Er, hey man."

"Hi," Edward replies, smiling. "I'm Edward."

Boston raises an eyebrow then looks at me and Jim.

"I'll explain later," I tell him. He still looks unnerved though.

"We don't want any problems or nothin'."

"Edward won't cause any problems. He's cool," I assure him.

"Well... okay." Boston lets us come inside.

We walk through the kitchen and towards where the living room is. The entire time, Edward is looking around. I guess he's interested because it is not often that he visits other people's homes.

We get to the living room to see Liz sitting on a loveseat. She's wearing a pair of Boston's shorts and a neon pink tank top.

"Hey," she says, looking at me and then Jim. When she catches sight of Edward, her eyes widen and backs up further against the couch. "What the fuck, man?"

Edward looks nervous so I speak up.

"Edward won't hurt anyone. It's just how his hands are."

Liz still looks freaked out, but she does calm down a little. "Seriously?"

"It's just how he is."

"If you say so..." She relaxes a little bit more.

Jim and I sit down on the other, larger couch, and Edward sits right next to me. I think he's scared. Not used to meeting new people and all, and Liz's reaction didn't help. Liz and Boston are sitting across from us, and Boston flicks on the television. Ghostbusters is playing.

We watch the movie and talk for a little bit, catching up on things. We know Boston and Liz from school, but both of them dropped out a couple of years back. Still they are always interested in how their old friends are doing. We talk about how Junior/Senior prom is coming up, and about our plans to drive down to the beach for a party afterward.

Edward sits quietly, listening to most of the conversation until there's a break. Then he speaks up.

"Is your name really Boston?"

Boston laughs. "No."

Edward looks confused. "I don't mean to be rude, but why does everyone call you that?"

"Well," Boston says, "You see this tattoo?" he points to a black tattoo on his forearm, where the word "Boston" is written out. "I got that in Boston."

"Oh."

"Don't really remember it. Showed up in Boston with a few friends, got fucked up and woke up with this tattoo. So everyone calls me Boston."

"That's interesting."

Boston smiles at Edward, and it seems to make Edward feel somewhat more at ease.

"Speaking of getting fucked up," Boston continues, "Jim, did ya bring the goods?"

Jim grins, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a massive bag of bud. He hands it to Boston, who immediately smiles.

"Fuckin' aye. This is Haze?"

"Fuck yes," Jim replies, "Figured it was worth the extra expense."

"Hell yes." Boston reaches into his pocket, pulls out a fifty and hands it over. "Thanks man." He then turns to Liz. "Baby, go get the paper?"

Liz nods and gets up, heads over to their bedroom, and emerges a minute with a pack of EZ-Wider and a lighter. She hands it to Boston, who begins preparing everything.

Before he lights it, he looks up at Edward. "You smoke?" he asks.

Edward shakes his head 'no'.

"Oh." Boston looks at me. "He's cool, right? He's not gonna rat?"

"He won't say a word."

"Alright." He lights the blunt and takes a pull, holding it in his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling. "That's the shit." He passes it to Jim, who takes a hit and passes it to me.

I take a long drag from it, and let the smoke linger in my lungs. I can feel the drug begin to take effect very quickly. It's calming. Very calming. I sigh as I exhale, and pass it on to Liz.

The whole time we're doing this, Edward is watching us quietly. When the joint comes back to me, I have an idea.

"Edward, you want to try some?"

Edward looks nervous again, and he looks around the room. Boston gives him a thumbs up and Liz smiles at him. That's all it takes to push him into it.

"Yeah. I'll try it."

I look at the blunt, trying to figure out how he could possibly hold it himself. It doesn't seem possible.

"Let's do a shotty," I suggest. "I'm gonna get real close to you and breathe the smoke at you, and you take a deep breath and hold it."

"Okay."

I lean in close to Edward, put the burning end of the blunt in my mouth, and blow the smoke towards him. He takes a deep breath, just as I told him to do... but then immediately begins coughing very harshly. The sound of it shakes everyone out of their high, at least a little bit.

"Man shut the fuck up!" Boston says, "You're gonna let the whole building know what's going on!"

Jim grabs a throw pillow and tosses it to Edward. "Cough into that."

By now Edward's doubled over. He's still coughing violently, but he's pushing his face into the pillow that I'm holding up against him. It muffles the sound a little. A minute goes by, and he's still not done. I rub his back, trying to relax him, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Annoyed, Boston gets up and gets a water bottle. He returns with it and hands it to me to open for Edward. "Give him that."

I nod, unscrew the top, and help Edward lean back.

"Here Edward. Drink this." I hold the bottle to his lips, and he takes a few sips. He doesn't stop until half the water is gone. I put the bottle down and look him over. His arms are wrapped around his chest, and he's hunched over again. I hear him groan.

"It's alright. You just have to get used to it. The next one will be better," I tell him. He looks at me warily, and curls up into himself a little bit more.

Now that he's quiet again, we relight the joint and start passing it around. It only takes a few minutes for everyone to once again feel the high.

I'm a little zoned out but I think Edward's feeling it too. He looks way calmer now. Maybe because of all the smoke in here. Maybe we sort of unintentionally hot boxed him. Well, whatever. He needs to relax more anyway.

I sigh contentedly and rest my head on Jim's shoulder. He's leaning back, watching the movie. Boston and Liz are cuddled up together too.

The commercials come on, and Boston suddenly gets up. "I need a beer. Anyone else in?"

"Yeah, me," Jim says.

Liz and I ask for one too.

"And you, Edward?" Boston asks.

"Huh?"

Boston laughs. "I asked if you wanted a beer."

"Okay."

Boston comes back with a six pack of Bud. Not my favorite but since I didn't pay for it I can't complain. He hands a can to Liz, then one to Jim, then two to me. I open one for myself, then realize that Edward won't be able to drink his.

"Boston. Do you have a straw?"

Boston, Jim, and Liz all laugh. Edward, meanwhile, is still sitting there, looking dazed.

"I think so," Liz says, after she stops laughing. "Lemme go check."

Once she returns with the straw I open Edward's beer, put the straw in, and place it down in front of him.

He looks at the beer, which is now on the coffee table, then at the floor, probably realizing that he has to move to be able to drink it. After what must be a moment of debating whether it is worth the effort to move or not, he stands up then lowers himself down so that he can sit next to the table. Then he starts drinking.

We're about three minutes in to a philosophical talk about religion and life when I hear a slurping sound. Everyone looks at Edward.

"That was fast," Boston says, somewhat surprised.

Edward nods, and Boston passes him another beer. I open it for him and set it down, and Edward immediately sets to drinking that one too.

"So, anyway, I was thinking that of all the religions, Buddhism is what makes the most sense, right?" Liz says, starting the conversation back up.

We debate this idea for another few minutes, the pot having made almost everyone comment either amusing or insightful.

Then there's that slurping again.

"Really?" I ask. I didn't think Edward could drink like that.

Everyone else is surprised, too. We're not even done with our first round yet.

"Do you want another one?" I ask.

Edward nods 'yes'.

"I've got another six pack but after that we'll have to go out," Boston says. He gets up to get it anyway, comes back and hands me three beers. "That ought to keep him occupied for at least six minutes," he jokes.

Edward doesn't respond. He's staring at the television, seemingly engrossed in the movie. I think he's really buzzed.

I push the empty cans away from him and set another one down, open it and put the straw in it.

"There ya go."

Edward finishes the other three cans of beer within the next half hour. He seems pretty okay. Still staring at the television. He still hasn't moved from his spot on the floor, either.

We're now enjoying a good buzz, just relaxing quietly when he speaks up.

"Kim."

"Yes?"

"I'm hungry."

"I am too," Liz chimes in. "Was just going to suggest that we order a pizza or something."

"Yeah that works," Boston agrees. Everyone begins fishing out their wallets to chip in, and Liz goes and orders us some food.

During the wait, I keep Edward occupied by giving him another drink and changing the channel to one of those daytime talk shows. We all laugh at it. Something about a midget sleeping with his girlfriend's cousin's transsexual sister. Edward smiles, too, though I'm not sure if he's smiling at the program or because he's fucked up.

When the pizza comes, Boston takes out some plates and gives everyone a slice. He puts one of them down near where Edward is sitting. I'm about to pick it up to help him eat, when he does something unexpected. He nudges the plate towards the edge of the table, bends down a little, and begins eating it, almost like an animal would.

"He's like a dog," Boston remarks, laughing. "Wow. Man, is he always like that?"

I frown, and pull Edward back. "We usually help him eat."

Edward looks at me, confused as to what is going on.

"You can't eat like that," I tell him. Then I pick up the slice of pizza and hold it up to his mouth.

He opens his mouth and takes a bite, chewing it noisily. It only takes him a couple of minutes to finish the whole thing. He must've been very hungry.

"Scissor dude's got the munchies," Boston says, watching as I take another piece of pizza for Edward.

Edward is calm after he's done. He's pretty low maintenance overall. He sits back, leaning against the sofa, and relaxes.

00

For the next hour, the rest of us watch television, talk, and smoke again. I offer it to Edward but he only takes one pull. I have to hold it up to his mouth since he can't hold it himself. This time he doesn't cough. It is after this round is done that we decide that now is a good time to go get some more alcohol.

Jim, Liz, Boston and I all stand up, but Edward remains sitting.

"Ed, we're going to go out," Jim tells him, "You have to get up."

Edward sighs, then stands up. Apparently drinking and smoking makes him super lazy. And off balance, too. As soon as he's standing, I notice him sway. I put an arm around his waist just in time to catch him before he falls.

"Wow," he mumbles.

"Come on, you're gonna walk with me," I tell him, keeping my arm around him.

"Okay," he agrees. He's leaning on me to keep from stumbling. I lead him out of the apartment and slowly down the stairs.

We walk towards the van outside when Jim decides that he's not in a good state to drive.

"The store's only a few blocks away. We can just walk."

Boston and Liz shrug and agree. I look at Edward. I'm not sure if he's going to be able to walk that far.

"Can you walk?" I ask him. He doesn't even look at me. He's fixated on something on the ground.

"Edward," I say, louder. This time it catches his attention. "Do you think you can walk to the liquor store?"

"I know how to walk," he replies. Then he starts to giggle. "I have an idea."

"What's that?" Liz asks, somewhat amused at the sight before her.

Edward looks up at the sky. It's getting closer to the evening, maybe an hour from sunset. "Maybe instead of calling it 'daytime' they can call it 'suntime' 'cause that's when the sun's out." Then there's more laughing. Edward must find this thought to be absolutely hilarious.

"Wow," Boston says, "That was ….random. Just watch him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"We'll keep him in line." Jim gets on Edward's other side, so that Edward is in between us.

The walk to the store is interesting. Edward is constantly stopping to look at things or laugh for no particular reason. At one point he almost got hit by a car because he was fascinated by it and refused to move from the middle of the street. Thankfully Jim was strong enough to pick him up and carry him to the sidewalk. I'm really regretting agreeing to take him along. Normally walking along on a nice night with a buzz would be a fun time. Now it is more of a babysitting job.

"EDWARD," Jim yells, once he puts Edward down.

Edward looks at him, terrified.

"YOU HAVE TO STAY OUT OF THE GODDAMN STREET!"

Jim must've really scared him because Edward comes closer to me, probably hoping that I'll stick up for him. I'm not having that though.

"Jim's right. You can't stay in the street like that. Come on, keep walking."

Edward follows along quietly, still stumbling a little. We do manage to get to our destination in one piece though.

"We can't take him inside. They won't sell us anything," Boston notes, as we stand out in the parking lot.

I sigh. "I'll stay out here with him. Here," I reach into my pocket and hand Boston a ten.

"Thanks."

As Boston, Liz, and Jim head into the store, I help Edward walk over to the curb, where he can sit down. Even when he's sitting, he sways a little, and I wrap an arm around him.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so..."

He rests his head against my shoulder, and I don't have it in me to push him off.

It is quiet for a minute or so. Then he speaks up.

"Kim."

"Yes?"

"What if we created a weekly holiday?"

"A holiday?" I decide to humor him. "What kind of holiday?"

"Instead of Saturday, it can be called Haturday, and everyone can wear hats according to their job function."

"So... a construction worker would wear a hard hat?"

"Mhmm," Edward replies, laughing again. "What would I wear?"

"Maybe a hat with leaves on it? 'Cause you trim the bushes outside and all."

Edward laughs harder at this.

"You're a silly drunk," I tell him, playfully.

Just then Boston, Jim and Liz emerge. They're carrying a couple of six packs and two bottles of hard alcohol, wrapped up in brown bags.

"We all good?" Boston asks, looking at Edward. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Ready to go?" I ask him.

"Ready!" Edward stands up, and almost falls over again. I manage to catch him before he does again.

"You have to remember to stay out of the street," I remind him.

"Stay out of the street," he repeats.

"Okay, we can go now," I tell everyone.

We set off and make it back by the time the sun begins to set, thankfully without incident.

00

After we start drinking again, the night is a blur. I remember Jim and Boston wrestling over something, while Liz and Edward and I watched. At some point we made screwdrivers, and I think I gave one to Edward, and he didn't like it. Then we danced like idiots to The Eurythmics. Then Liz fell asleep on the toilet. Then we decided to go home.

By the time Jim pulled into our driveway, I was a bit more sober. Edward was mostly clear headed, but he seemed tired.

"Remember," I tell him, before we get out, "If mom and dad ask, we just watched movies."

"Okay."

The two of us get out of the van. I give Jim a kiss goodnight, and then Edward and I head inside.

It's only ten and mom is still up. She has this weird ability to tell whenever anything is off, so I do my best to sneak past her. I tell her that we had a great time and that I'm tired and am going to go to bed, and get out of the way before she can question me any further. Hopefully she won't bother Edward too much.

00

_Peg's perspective_

I'm surprised Kim and Edward are back so early, but I guess it's good. Our appointment with the surgeon is at eleven tomorrow morning, so Edward can get a good night's sleep now.

Kim rushed past me as is usual when she comes back from being out. No idea what her problem is, but I guess she's just tired. Edward's still here, though.

"Did you have fun?" I ask.

"We watched a lot of movies," he answers.

"Good... but did you enjoy it?"

"It was fun."

He's looking at me kind of funny.

"Do you need any help?"

He nods his head 'yes' and I get up from the couch, switch off the television and walk over. He waits for me to get there before heading towards the bathroom.

Once we're there, I switch the lights on and move to help him unbutton his jeans. Now that I'm closer to him, I can tell that his eyes are bloodshot.

"Edward, are you okay?" I'm concerned. I hope he's not getting sick again.

"I'm fine," he answers, forcing a smile.

I eye him for a minute. He's actively avoiding eye contact with me, and it makes me wonder if he's hiding something.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." he looks down at his jeans, "May I go?"

"Yes." I help him push his boxers and jeans further down. "Call me when you're done."

I step outside, wondering if that was alcohol I smelled on him or if it was in my head. I hate to think like that, I really do, but I was young once too and all. Then again, Kim's a good kid. She wouldn't let Edward do that type of thing.

Edward calls me back soon enough. I help him clean up and put his boxers back on.

"Do you want to stay up or go to bed?"

"I'm tired," he tells me. Still won't look me straight in the face.

I help him brush his teeth and get into a pair of pajamas. Then, I quietly help him into bed, making sure not to wake Kevin.

I decide to give getting some info one last try.

"I'd hope that you'd tell me if anything else happened tonight." I make it a point to look at him in the eyes. It clearly makes him uncomfortable. I can tell. Still, he keeps quiet.

Knowing that he won't be saying anything, at least not anytime soon, I let it drop.

"Well, have a good night." I kiss him on the forehead and leave.


	5. Friday

Friday

_Peg's perspective_

Since we have to be at the surgeon's office at eleven, I wake Edward up at eight. Kim and Kevin are still asleep and Bill is getting ready for work.

The two of us go through our typical morning routine up until breakfast time. Edward clearly wants something to eat, but the doctor wants to take blood samples and that requires twelve hours of fasting. He's not happy about it, but there's nothing he can do.

By nine thirty we're heading out the door and into the car. There's a bit of traffic and I am thankful that we left early. To pass the time sitting on the freeway, I turn the radio on to a news show. The DJs are discussing how East and West Berlin are being re-united. Of course, they go into a very brief history of communism and the rise of the Iron Curtain, then there's a sound clip of that infamous speech where Reagan told Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall".

Once the commercials come on, Edward speaks up.

"Peg, what's communism?"

"It's a social-political-economic system."

"Is it bad?"

"It goes against everything that the United States stands for, regarding Capitalism. That is our economic system. See, in the United States, anyone can come and if they work hard, they can make money and be successful. In communism, everyone is always considered equal. Even if you work hard, you may not make a lot of money."

"Hm."

"It's more complicated than that, but those are the basics."

"What is Berlin?"

"It is a city in Germany that was divided after World War 2. One side was communist and was run by the USSR and one side was controlled by the United States."

"So there was really a wall there?"

"A big wall, called the Berlin Wall. If people tried to jump over from the East to the West they could be killed."

Edward seems surprised by this.

"Did we help them?"

"We tried to."

There was a silence, before Edward had another question.

"What's World War 2?"

The whole car ride continued on this way. I tried my best to answer his questions, breaking down the answers as simply as possible. There was still so much that Edward had yet to learn about the past and present as well. It might be a good idea to buy Edward some history books, so at least he can learn about everything at his own pace.

We finally arrive at the surgeon's office, just on time. As we take the elevator up, I hear Edward's stomach growl.

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "We'll go get something to eat as soon as we're done here."

00

The waiting room is less crowded than it was on our previous visit, and I am grateful for that. It lessens the possibility of Edward catching anything and getting sick again. Also less people means less of a chance that anyone will say anything to him.

Just like last time, one of the nurses leads us into another room. This one has a hospital bed in it, and this time the nurse stays around to help take Edward's vitals and get him situated.

She is a young Latina woman named Anna. Couldn't have been more than thirty. I notice that she is very professional and is taking pains to make sure that Edward is comfortable. Her first task is to help him into a hospital gown. She pulls one out of a drawer in the room and holds it up.

"Edward, do you want your mom here to help you with this?"

Edward looks at me, then back at Anna. He must be comfortable with her because he allows her to help him. She manages to get him out of his street clothes and into the gown in less than a minute. I have to admit, Im impressed.

"Good job!", she says, smiling at him. Edward blushes and smiles back.

Anna sits him down on the bed and picks up her chart.

"Okay. I'm going to take your vital signs first. Do you understand what that is?"

Edward shakes his head 'no'.

"That's fine. I'm going to take your pulse rate, your temperature and your blood pressure."

"Okay."

Anna smiles at him again, and Edward relaxes a little bit more.

"I'm going to touch your neck to take your pulse." Anna reaches out, and presses lightly against his carotid artery. "Okay, good." she scribbles a number down before picking up a thermometer. "Open your mouth." She goes on with this until everything is done.

"Is that all?" Edward asks.

"Well, we have a bit more to do. I have a few questions and then I'm going to draw your blood."

"Draw it?"

Anna holds up a small empty vial. "I'm going to put a needle into your vein and collect some blood for tests."

Edward's eyes grow wide and he begins to look nervous. Quick as I can, I sit down next to him and wrap an arm around him.

"It'll be okay," I tell him.

"I promise it won't hurt too much," Anna adds.

Edward swallows nervously but nods in agreement.

"First I have a few questions. When's the last time you had anything to eat or drink?"

"Last night."

"What time?"

"Around five o'clock."

"Okay. Are you allergic to anything?"

Edward looks at me, confused by the question.

"We don't think that he has any allergies," I answer.

Anna writes this down. "Last one. Are you on any medication?"

Edward shakes his head 'no', but then changes his mind. "Wait... I think I had aspirin on Tuesday."

Anna smirks. "Okay, then. Nothing since?"

"No."

"Alright. Now for the hard part." She gently takes hold of Edward's forearm and looks it over. "The doctor wants a panel of tests done. I'm going to take blood from right here," she says, tapping on a vein on the underside of Edward's elbow.

Edward grimaces as she applies a tourniquet. I continue to keep my arm around him.

Anna takes out a needle and slides it under his skin. Edward is fine until he sees the blood start to come out. Then, he suddenly starts to tear up.

The young nurse is sympathetic. "Close your eyes," she tells him. "It'll be over in a few seconds."

Edward closes his eyes and I hold him a little tighter. Not seeing the blood seems to make him calm down at least. As promised, the procedure is done quickly.

Anna caps the samples and puts down the needle. She takes out a box of band aids. Using a cotton ball to apply pressure, she waits for the bleeding to stop before putting the band aid on Edward's skin.

"There we go," she tells him, smiling at him. "You're all done."

Edward cracks his eyes open. He's not crying anymore, but he seems embarrassed nonetheless.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles, blushing again.

"Don't be. Lots of people don't like needles."

"I didn't like seeing my blood come out."

"Lots of people don't like that too. It's okay. Now, Doctor Hansen will be in shortly." She moves to help Edward lie down on the bed, and I get out of the way to let her do this. "You just relax here for a bit."

Edward nods, and Anna leaves.

00

Dr. Hansen arrives within a few moments. He's dragging a machine on a cart behind him.

"Good morning!" he says, cheerily.

"Good morning," Edward and I reply.

Dr. Hansen takes a seat near Edward's bed.

"How are you doing today? Anna tells me that you were a very good patient for her earlier."

Edward shrugs, "She was very nice."

"Good. She used to work with children before coming here."

"She did?"

The doctor nods. "Pediatric oncology. Tough job."

"Oh."

I doubt that Edward has any idea what the term 'pediatric oncology' means, but that's okay.

"Anyway," the doctor continues, "I'm going to do an ultrasound now. It's going to show me where your veins are in your arms, so I can understand how everything is connected."

"Is it going to hurt?" Edward asks. He looks nervous again.

Dr. Hansen chuckles. "No, it won't hurt at all." He holds up the ultrasound wand and a bottle of gel. "I'm going to put the gel on your arm, and then use this wand to see beneath your skin."

"Okay."

The doctor begins the procedure, making clucking noises with his tongue as he moves along and studies the images on the screen. I stare at the monitor as well, but am unsure what I am seeing.

It takes about ten minutes for him to finish. He then moves on to Edward's other arm and repeats the procedure.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," the doctor says, as he wipes the ultrasound gel off of Edward's arm.

We both look at him, waiting for him to explain.

"It appears as though Edward's blood vessels extend to here," he says, pointing to an area on his own arm slightly below his wrist. "But his nerves have some connection that goes further. I'm not sure how it's possible, really, but then again, I'm not sure how creating him was possible."

"I don't understand," Edward answers. He looks confused.

"Basically, I can remove the scissors and attach prosthetic hands, but you may have a hard time controlling them for a while until the nerves connected to your scissors regenerate. And even then, the control may be very limited. It would take about a year for the nerves to heal enough to see fully how much usage you would have."

Edward does not seem to take this as bad news at all.

"That's it?" he asks, a tentative smile crossing his face.

"That's it! At the very least, you'd look more... normal."

Edward looks at me, still smiling. "Can I do it?"

"Do you understand what the doctor is saying?" I ask, "You may not have control over your new hands. Do you understand what that means?"

Edward's smile falters a little. "But...I might be able to."

"I'd say it's about a 70/30 shot. Seventy percent chance that you have control, thirty percent that you don't," the doctor adds.

"Those seem like good odds," I note.

Edward smiles again.

"Well, why don't you and your family discuss it. If you want to go ahead with it, we can schedule the procedure for two weeks from today. Edward, did your mom talk to you about paying for this?"

I hadn't. I had forgotten, to be quite honest.

"I have not told him," I reply to the doctor. Then I turn to Edward. "Edward, Dr. Hansen is willing to do the surgery for free if you allow him to write about you in his publications."

"That's fine," Edward answers, almost immediately.

"People will know your name and know what you've gone through," I tell him, just to be clear.

"They already know of me," he replies, "They know me as a freak. How much worse could it be?"

He's right. Much of the country knows about him thanks to our appearances on television.

"Fair enough. Doctor, we'll get back to you on Monday, if that's alright."

"Sure. I do hope you agree to it, I think the chances of increasing your quality of life are good," he says, looking at Edward.

Edward nods, "Thank you, doctor."

After the doctor leaves, I help Edward get dressed again, and we head out from there.

00

Knowing that Edward is starving, I take him to a diner for lunch on our way back. It's a small place styled like it's from the 1950s. I've been to it once before with Bill. Hopefully the staff will be nice to Edward.

Once we're inside, I find us a booth in the back to sit at. It's far away from where the other customers are sitting and thus decreases the chances that anyone will notice Edward's hands.

"Get anything you want," I tell him, laying out a menu in front of him.

He reads it for a while quietly. Eventually a waitress comes over to take our orders. For the first few seconds that she is there, I hold my breath, hoping that she won't say anything. I'm used to hearing it from others by now, but it still hurts me each time. I love Edward and I hate it when people try to bring him down.

Thankfully, she does not bring it up.

Edward is still looking at the menu, so I order first.

"I'd like a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes, please."

The waitress writes it down, and looks at Edward. "And for you?"

"Do you have waffles?"

"We serve breakfast all day, so yes."

"I would like waffles. And a milkshake." Edward looks at me, as if to confirm that this is okay.

"Go for it."

"What kind of milkshake?" the waitress asks.

"The Oreo kind."

"Sure thing. I'll be right back."

00

For the next hour, the two of us talk and eat. Edward has a huge pile of waffles which I've been cutting up and feeding to him amidst our conversation.

"So you think you want to do the surgery, then?" I ask.

Edward nods 'yes' as his mouth is full of food. When he swallows he replies.

"I really want to."

"Even though you might end up with less control over your hands than you have now?"

"Yes. How much worse could it be? At least no one will look at me like they do now."

People might still think he is strange because he has fake hands, but he's right. They likely would not be calling him a freak anymore.

"I understand. We can talk to Bill about it and call the doctor on Monday." I feed him another bite of food.

My next question is one that I've been pondering for quite a while.

"What do you want to do once you get new hands?"

Edward's eyes light up a little bit. "Everything."

"Like what?"

Edward takes a sip of his milkshake before answering.

"I want to get a job or go to school. Maybe I could make some friends."

"What about Kim's friends? Did you get along with them?"

Edward looks nervous again. "They were nice."

"They didn't say or do anything to you, did they?" I know it's a bit paranoid – I can't imagine that Kim would hang around with cruel people, but I can't help but ask.

"No."

It's clear that Edward does not want to discuss this, so I move on.

"We can start looking at different schools and jobs when we get home. See what's available."

Edward looks happy again.

"Thank you."

I smile at him and nod. We finish our meals soon enough and start towards home.

00

We arrive closer to three o'clock. Kim's out for the day, having left a note for me on the refridgerator. Kevin's out too, down the block at Mike's again. Bill's still at work.

I have chores to do, but Edward needs to use the bathroom so I deal with that first. As I help him with his jeans, I say what we are both likely thinking.

"Hopefully soon you'll be able to do this on your own."

"I hope so," Edward agrees. No matter how many times we do this, it still seems to humiliate him to some degree.

Edward calls me back into the bathroom when he's done and I help him again. Then I do my chores: clean up the kitchen and make some dinner. Kevin and Kim are out late, so it's just the three of us. We discuss the surgery, and Bill agrees with Edward that it would be best to do it.

Only two hours after dinner, Edward goes to bed. He's tired from a day of driving, doctors and decisions. I tuck him in like I always do and Bill and I enjoy a relaxing evening alone.


	6. Saturday

Saturday

_Bill's perspective_

Today feels like it is going to be a good day. The sun is shining, and it's warm out already.

I woke up at seven to the sound of birds chirping. Oddly, it did not bother me. I felt relaxed.

Peg is still sleeping, as is the rest of the family. Since I'm up I decide to surprise them with a nice breakfast. First, though, I'm going to take a shower.

00

It's nice to have a shower without rushing around. It's quiet in the house and I can think for a little bit.

Kim mentioned going out with Jim and her friends today. Kevin wanted to go to Mike's house. Maybe all of them can get together and go to the park. That'd be nice. I wish my kids would spend more time together. I know there's a large age difference, but one day Kevin will be all that Kim has left, and vice versa.

My thoughts then drift to Edward. I worry about him. Peg and I try our best to help him, to protect him from other people. The rest of the world can be so cruel sometimes. But there's only so much we can do. One day Edward will have to live on his own. He will have to understand how to function socially. He will need to provide for himself. And if he can't do that, I really hope that Kevin or Kim will help him.

I think Peg babies him too much. I understand why she does it, and some of it is necessary, but I also think that there are some things that he needs to learn for himself. Like eating. I think that, if he had to, he could learn how to eat on his own. He must've been doing it before Peg found him, anyway. How else would he have survived?

I turn the shower off. I don't want to think about this right now. It's going to ruin my day. Instead I dry off, get dressed and head to the kitchen. A quick check of the cabinets and fridge reveals that we have all of the materials necessary to make Bill's Famous Blueberry Pancakes. I take everything out and start mixing the batter then cooking the pancakes. A few minutes later, Kim and Peg appear.

"Good morning," I greet them, smiling.

"Wow. You're actually cooking," Kim says, surprised.

"Blueberry pancakes!" I tell her, "Figured it'd be a nice treat."

Peg smiles at me and moves to put some coffee on. "Thanks, honey. This is really sweet of you."

Kim starts to set the table, and it's not long before Kevin and Edward join us.

"I knew I smelled pancakes," Kevin says, taking a seat at the table. Edward sits next to him.

The pancakes are done and I serve two to everyone, then place the rest on a plate in the middle of the table.

"So, what are everyone's plans for today?" I ask, watching as Peg pours some syrup over Edward's pancakes. She then starts to cut them up for him. I force myself to look at something else to distract myself from it. I'm not sure why it annoys me so much.

"I'm gonna go see Mike and Charlie," Kevin says, before shoving another huge bite of pancake into his mouth.

"And you, Kim?"

"I wanted to see Jim and Liz later. Liz's mom is having a late Cinco-de-Mayo party."

"Isn't Liz Charlie's brother?" Kevin asks.

"Yeah, I think so."

"I think we were going to that party too."

Well, this is perfect.

"Why don't you all go together?" I suggest. "And take Edward with you. That way Jim can give Kevin and Mike a ride, Edward can have some fun and your mother and I can have a day to ourselves."

Kim sighs but Kevin seems excited.

"Yeah! Can we do that?" he looks at his sister. I know that Kevin thinks Jim is cool, and probably wants to hang out with him.

Kim's a good sister and does not want to disappoint her younger brother. Plus, they are going to end up in the same place no matter what, so how they get there does not matter all that much.

"Yeah, sure," she agrees, "Just stay out of my hair once we're there."

"We will!"

"Are you okay with that?" I ask Edward. He's being very quiet.

"Sure."

"Great!"

We finish our breakfast soon after, and everyone else gets ready for the day.

00

_Peg's perspective_

"Now, Kim, make sure you watch your brother and his friends," I tell my daughter. We're alone in the kitchen. She's helping me with the dishes.

"I will."

"And make sure you watch out for Edward, too. You know how people can be!"

"I will, mother."

"And you know, if he needs anything, then just help him back to the house."

Kim seems really annoyed now. I'm not trying to irritate her, I just want to make sure that all of my other kids are taken care of as well.

"Okay mom!" she replies, glaring at me.

I drop the subject after that.

00

Jim will be picking up everyone in an hour, so after we do the dishes I take the time to help Edward get ready.

"Make sure you go now so you don't have to go later," I remind him, as we're walking into the bathroom.

"Okay."

"And remember to choose something comfortable to wear since you'll be outside. It's warm out today."

"Okay."

I help Edward bathe and dress. He ends up wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He doesn't like wearing t-shirts too much, because they show exactly where his wrist ends and the scissors begin, but we've come up with an idea to counter that. Kim had suggested it, actually. Whenever he wears short sleeves out of the house he wears a set of thick black leather bracelets on his wrists. They are big enough to cover the area near where the scissors begin.

At first Edward thought that they made him look even creepier, but after getting some compliments from Kevin and Kim, he decided that they weren't so bad after all.

"There we go." I button the first leather bracelet in place, then move on to the second one. When I'm done, I take a step back and look him over.

"Looks good. Jim will be here soon. Remember, if there's any problems at all, let Mrs. Green know. She has our phone number."

"I will."

I smile at Edward, and he smiles back at me, then we go back out and watch television until Jim pulls up.

00

_Kim's perspective_

As soon as Jim shows up, Kevin, Charlie, Mike and Edward climb into the back of the van.

"Be good back there!" I tell Kevin and his friends. Everyone, including Edward, mumbles a 'yes' in reply.

The kids are quiet during the rest of the ride. Almost too quiet. I didn't think much of it at first, but after a few minutes of silence, it occurrs to me that something might be going on. And I'm right. I turn around to see all four of them staring in awe at a magazine that Mike is holding.

"Look at her boobs," Charlie says, "They're huge!"

"Hey! Give me that!" I yell, grabbing the porno mag from Mike's hands.

"Aw, come on!" Kevin protests.

"Where'd you find this?"

"It was under the seat," Kevin answers. Then he crosses his arms. "You're no fun."

I roll my eyes and look at Jim. "Jim, my brother's friends found your porno back there!"

Jim glances over at the magazine in my hands. "Oooh, Hustler. Looks like April 1985... great issue."

"Ew."

"Hey, I don't judge you on what you read," he replies.

"I don't read porno magazines!"

"Well I wouldn't judge you if you did. Oh, look, we're here!" He says, smiling. He knows that I'm not going to argue with him in public.

Sighing, I get out and open the door for the boys. Charlie, Kevin and Mike quickly run off, but Edward stays near us.

"You remember Liz, right?" I ask.

"Yes."

"This is her house."

"Okay."

The three of us make our way inside.

00

_Edward's perspective_

It's really bright here. I've never seen lights like the ones they have out. They look like little lanterns. And there's torches, too. There's a bunch of people inside and around the yard, but we're sitting on the patio.

The whole place is decorated with Hawaiian and Mexican things. That's what Kim says they are. It looks nice, and people are being nice, too. At first it was boring, but then Kim's friend Jose came over and we've been talking on and off. He gets made fun of like me. Boston keeps mocking him and Jose keeps calling him Seanie-boy which I think means that Jose thinks he's gay.

Jose is telling me how this type of teasing has been going on forever when Mrs. Green comes out. She is a strange woman. I think she's around Peg's age. She looks a lot like Miss Joyce but with blonde hair and more wrinkles. She and Kim are wearing the same dress but it looks better on Kim because Kim is young.

"Hey kids, having a good time?" Mrs. Green has a margerita in her hand, and is swaying slightly.

"Yes mom," Liz says, "How about you? How wasted are you?"

"Not enough," Mrs. Green replies, laughing. She looks at me and Jose. "How are you two doing? You two outcasts banding together? You know, Jose, we're going to be breaking a pinata in a little bit, you might like that." She laughs again.

"I'm not Mexican," he reminds her.

Mrs. Green snorts. "Mexican. Columbian. Close enough." She takes another sip of her drink, then turns to me. "And you... Edward, is it?" She takes a step closer to me.

"Yes." She's making me nervous. She has that same weird look on her face that Miss Joyce had.

Mrs. Green smiles at me. "Well look at you." She touches my face, and I try not to cringe. I don't want to insult her. "If it wasn't for your scissor hands you'd be real handsome."

"Thanks..." I'm not sure what else to say. I wish she would go away. I don't understand why these women are like this. Why can't they be nice like Peg?

"I bet you're good with your tongue, though, eh?" She says, winking at me.

I have no idea what she's talking about so I just stare. If I talk I'll probably give the wrong answer. What would I do with my tongue besides eat and talk with it?

"Ma, stop being a perv and leave Edward alone," Liz calls out. I'm thankful for this.

Mrs. Green turns around. "I'm not being a pervert, you stupid whore! You take after your father's new wife it seems. Ah, anyway," she looks at her drink, which is nearly empty. "I need a refill. Back to the party it is!"

With that, she walks away.

Liz used to annoy me but now I kind of feel bad for her. She looks sad. She's not crying but her eyes are sad.

"Sorry about my mom. She hasn't gotten any since my dad left her for his secretary five years ago," she explains. "When she's drunk she hits on anything that moves."

"It's okay," I tell her. Boston, or Sean, I'm not sure what his real name is, puts an arm around her and pulls her closer to him.

"Well, that was awkward," Jim says, after a short silence. "Anyone want more drinks? Liz? Kim? Edward?"

"Yeah, give me a few shots of anything," Liz answers, "I need to get the thought of Edward giving my mom oral out of my head."

Jim laughs. "Yeah, I think we all need to get that image out of our heads. Especially Edward. What do ya want, Eddie? Shots? Oh, I know. I bet you want some Tequila like Jose here."

"Fuck you," Jose calls out, "But yeah, Tequila would be good."

Jim smiles at him. "Alright. So... Tequila for Serg and Edward then. Kim?"

"Just give me whatever you give Liz," Kim says.

"Right. Okay."

Jim walks off, leaving Kim sitting by herself.

Jose's talking to me but I can barely pay attention. Kim looks so pretty tonight. She's wearing a white sun dress with pink flowers, and her hair is down. Her skin looks soft and perfect. I bet she smells really good, too. It's hard for me not to get up and sit next to her, but I know Jim would get mad if I did that.

00

_Kim's perspective_

Wow. They actually do have a pinata. It's strung up on a tree in the backyard.

Mrs. Green, who is totally wrecked by now, blind folds different people, trying to get them to break it with a baseball bat.

Since most of the guests are drunk, no one is able to hit it. Eventually Jose, who isn't as trashed as everyone else, knocks it down, revealing that it is filled with mini alcohol bottles, condoms, and candy. The crowd cheers and runs to pick the contents up. Then a minute later, the music starts. It's Mexican Mariachi music, probably off of some party tape that Mrs. Green made. Her parties are always loud, especially later at night.

Around nine, Kevin and Mike leave to walk home. Around eleven, some more of our friends show up. One of them, Mark, brings a bunch of fireworks.

"I know it's not the 4th yet but I figured what the fuck," he explains, pulling the fireworks out of a bag.

I shrug. Fireworks would be cool. Anyway, the night is still young and my buzz is starting to wear off. I go off to get myself and Liz a couple of Cuba Libre's. As I'm walking, I notice Edward and Jose sitting and talking to each other. Edward looks out of it, but not totally blasted, which is probably good. Scissor hands plus large amounts of alcohol plus a large crowd of drunk people probably isn't a great mix.

When I come back I see that Mark and Jim have set everything up. They gather other party guests into the back, so that they can put their show on. Everyone comes around to watch.

The first firework goes off, booming loudly and leaving a dazzling white light in the sky. It's followed by a few red fireworks, and a gold one. They all look to be of pretty good quality. Mark went all out. He sets several more off, and the crowd ooh's and ahh's, staring at the display. All in all it seems like a nice way to wind down the evening.

And then, a few minutes later, it all comes crashing down. Standing in the doorway to the porch is none other than my mom and dad.

00

Mom wastes no time in reprimanding me and everyone else there. When Mrs. Green appears, having heard the commotion, mom argues with her, too.

"How DARE you allow my daughter and son to drink here! She's underage and he's... Come on, you should've known that this was a bad idea!"

"Christ. I didn't force it down their throats," Mrs. Green answers. "You two ought to calm down and relax, join the party."

This just makes mom angrier. She gets right in Mrs. Green's face and says, in a very low voice, "I am taking my children now, and I am going to go home, and call the police. Not only did your giant fireworks display wake up the whole neighborhood, but you've put all of these kids in a bad situation."

Mrs. Green backs off. "Okay, okay. Listen, can you not call the cops, and I'll promise not to let them near the drinks again?"

"You're fucking drunk! How can I trust you? I'm telling you, Eileen, ever since James left you've been losing it! We're all tired of your shit!"

My jaw drops. I can't help it. I've never heard mom curse twice in one sentence. I notice Edward is backed up against the wall behind mom, looking terrified. He probably thinks that he's in trouble. Of course, he won't be. Mom won't believe that he did anything on his own. Poor sweet Edward always follows the crowd. Hell, if I were him, I'd keep playing it up. He can get away with anything.

Mrs. Green looks like she's about to deck mom in the face. I'm waiting for a straight up fight to break out, but dad intervenes at the last second.

"Peg! Honey! Stop it!" He pulls her back.

At first, she tries to pull away, but dad keeps her in place.

"Calm down. Let's just take the kids and leave," he tells her.

Mom glares at Mrs. Green, then finally concedes.

"Come on," she says, clearly speaking to me and to Edward. "We're going home."

I look at Jim, who nods, his way of saying that I should go with them. That in mind, I follow mom and dad out, with Edward walking quietly behind me.

00

_Edward's perspective_

I've never seen Peg as angry as she is now. It's scary. Her face is all red and her eye keeps twitching. I think it's best to keep quiet. If I say anything she might use it against me, or worse, use it against Kim. The whole drive home she kept talking about how she hates Eileen and how she's a bad influence to everyone she comes into contact with. Bill doesn't say much. He just nods occasionally but mainly he keeps his eyes focused on the road.

I expect her to yell at us when we get home, and she seems intent on doing this, until Bill comes up beside her, and rests a hand on her shoulder. It's almost like the two are exchanging messages with their minds. Like she can understand what Bill is saying, even though he's not actually talking.

She sighs loudly.

"I was going to talk to you both but you should just go to bed," she says.

Kim nods, and I follow her down the hall, grateful that we got let off so easily.

00

_Peg's perspective_

I knew what Bill was thinking when he put his hand on my shoulder, and he's right.

I turn to look at him. I'm frustrated and angry but...

"You can't protect them forever," Bill says. "You have to let them live their lives and experience things. They need to make their own mistakes."

"I know. I know, Bill, it's just... I don't want anything to happen to them."

Bill nods in understanding. "Nor do I, but if they'll never trust us if they think we're just going to come down on them for everything, and they're young. We can't expect them to always follow the rules. It would be better for them to be honest with us and trust us to be there for them."

"What if they do worse things? What if the end up like Eileen? God, I hate her." Okay, I really don't hate her. I just dislike that she let my kids drink and gather condoms from a pinata on her back lawn.

"They won't end up like Eileen. Eileen's whole family was broken. I remember, she was in my classes. Her parents were terrible to her and her sisters. Our kids have a good family. They'll be fine."

I sigh again. I feel calmer but still slightly upset.

"What about Edward? He doesn't know... he's not street smart like Kim is."

"The only way he'll ever learn is by experience. Plus, he knows that we are there for him, that he can come to us with questions. Hell, I talked to him about sex the other day." Bill made a face, showing his discomfort.

I had to laugh. I can only imagine how awkward that conversation was.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He wanted to understand why he got erections. It was... well, let's just say there was a lot of vodka involved on my part."

I smack him playfully. "Now you're being the bad influence!"

"Hey, you're gonna tell me that you would've had that talk sober?"

"Well.. No."

"There you go." Bill smiles at me, and I smile back.

I'm thankful for Bill, I really am. He's the logical one between us. And, I guess I owe Eileen an apology. I'll tackle that one tomorrow, if she's not too hungover to talk.


	7. Chapter 7

Sunday

_Kim's perspective_

I've been trying to sleep for the past three hours but I can't. I feel guilty. The look of fear on Edward's face when mom came to the party keeps popping into my head. I put him in a bad position - he wouldn't have been there, doing what we were doing, if not for myself and my friends.

The clock says that it's 2:30 am. Knowing that I won't be getting any rest, I decide to get up and watch some television.

As I walk down the hallway I decide to check in on Edward and Kevin. Both are probably asleep. I push the door open and look inside. Kevin's asleep, but Edward's not. I can see him looking at me.

"Kim?" He asks, in a soft voice.

"Hi Edward," I whisper back.

I quietly make my way into the room and sit down on the edge of Edward's bed.

"You can't sleep either?"

Edward shakes his head, but doesn't say anything.

He looks tired, like he wants to sleep but something's keeping him awake.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

He just stares at me.

Then it hits me. "If this is about last night...I'm sorry, Edward. I really am. We should've acted better, not exposed you to all of that. We shouldn't have done it Friday, either."

Edward is silent for a minute before finally speaking again.

"I don't want to go back," he says, so softly that I can barely hear it.

"Go back?"

"To the mansion."

Edward looks like he's about to cry and my jaw drops.

"Go back? Oh, Oh god, no. Mom and dad would never do that!"

I hear Kevin move and realize that I'd spoken too loud. I sigh.

"Let's go to the living room so we don't wake up Kevin."

"Okay." Edward agrees.

I lead him out and down the hall and into the other room. We sit down on the couch next to each other.

"Mom and dad would never make you go back," I try to reassure him.

"But I'm not one of you," is his response.

"Just because you're not blood related doesn't mean that you're not one of us. Mom and dad love you."

Edward looks at me, though I can't tell whether he's relieved or not.

"I'm sorry, again. I promise… I promise I won't put you in that type of situation again," I say, hoping that it might help.

He nods, then yawns a second later.

"You should go back to bed."

"Okay."

He stands up. I follow him back to his room and help him settle in. Once I'm sure that he's comfortable I head back out. I'm still not tired so I go to make myself some tea and watch some television, as originally planned.

00

_Peg's perspective_

This morning I found Kim asleep on the sofa. I was tempted to wake her up as doing so would've given me the freedom to move around more freely since I would not have to worry about making noise, but I ended up letting her stay where she was.

Quietly, I chopped up fruit for a fruit salad and made some toaster waffles. Sunday breakfasts are usually low-key for us.

As I set the plates, Kevin, Bill and Edward all come into the kitchen. Bill and Kevin look well rested, but Edward looks tired.

Of course, Edward doesn't complain. Edward never complains. He just sits there and slowly pushes the fruit around, not bothering to eat any of it.

It's quiet for a few minutes before Bill speaks up.

"I was thinking of going down to the lake later on. It's a great day for fishing. Maybe Kevin would like to come?" He looks at his son.

Kevin shrugs.

"Yeah, okay."

Bill smiles.

"Great. I bet the fish are biting real good today," Bill says.

"Cool," Kevin replies.

Then Bill looks at me.

"Do you have any plans for today, Peg?"

"Just doing some cleaning. I'll go see Eileen later on."

"Sounds good." Bill goes back to eating his breakfast.

It's not long after that Bill gets up to get ready. He instructs Kevin to meet him out front in half an hour and the two walk off, leaving me and Edward behind.

00

At some point Kim gets up and goes off to her room, locking the door behind her. Edward and I are completely alone now.

Throughout the morning I go about my chores, cleaning and preparing for the week ahead. However I can't help but notice that Edward is following me to whatever room I'm in. When I went to clean the living room, he followed me there. Same when I went to do the laundry. He even followed me into the bathroom when I went to scrub the toilet. He just stood there, staring at me.

After an hour I've had enough of it. Edward's behavior is very odd. It's almost unnerving.

"Is there something you want?" I ask, trying to sound as nice as possible

Edward suddenly looks very sad.

"You've been following me around all morning, you must want something." My second statement comes out snippier then I intend it to.

"I dreamed that you made me leave," he mumbles, not making eye contact. "Kim told me you wouldn't but…" He trails off.

I frown. It hurts me to think that Edward would fear us abandoning him and suddenly I regret ever even feeling annoyed.

"Kim is right. We wouldn't do that." I look him straight in the eyes in an attempt to convey that I'm being truthful.

Edward stares back at me.

"I'm sorry for yelling last night. I was worried. I shouldn't have been so angry," I continue. It's really not Edward's fault. He just followed along. If I'm angry at anyone, it's Kim. "I promise that you will always be welcome to live here."

Edward nods in understanding and looks somewhat relieved.

"Thank you," he says, under his breath.

"You don't have to thank me." I mean that. I've only done what any decent parent or adult would do.

Edward doesn't reply. There's an awkward silence before I decide to change the subject. There's not much else I can say anyhow.

"Bill and Kevin are gone, if you want to take a bath now."

"Okay."

I help Edward undress and we go on with our daily routine.

00

_Bill's perspective_

Fishing with Kevin was fun but we didn't catch anything. At least we got to relax and catch up, though. It's rare that we do much together anymore. Kevin is getting older and wants to spend more time with his friends, and with Edward having joined us, Peg and I have more responsibilities.

We got home around five in the evening. I walked into the kitchen to see Peg, Kim and Edward sitting at the table, reviewing a brochure.

"Hi, honey," Peg greets me.

I lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"What are you guys looking at?"

"A brochure for the community college," Kim answers. "We're looking to see if there's anything Edward's interested in."

"Ah. I take it you made a decision about the surgery, then?" I direct my question at Edward.

"I'd like to go through with it," he replies.

"Good! I think that's a good choice." I smile at him and he smiles back.

"They have a sculpting class that Edward might like," Kim said. "You know, once we find out how much he can do."

"I can see that. Edward definitely has the talent for it!"

Peg closes the brochure.

"I need to start on dinner. We can continue looking at this later if you like," she offers.

Edward and Kim agree and both vacate the kitchen, leaving Peg and I alone. Now that the kids are gone, Peg drops her facade. She looks drained, like something is bothering her.

"Is everything alright?" I ask, concerned.

She sighs.

"It's just been a long day."

"Did you go talk to Eileen?"

Peg nods.

"I did. She was very nice about it and she promised to be more careful in the future."

I raise an eyebrow.

"That's good then, right?"

"It is." She leans up against the countertop, resting her head in her hands.

"Then what's the problem?"

She sighs yet again.

"This morning Edward told me that he's afraid we'll make him leave."

"What? We would never do that!" I'm as stunned by the statement as Peg probably was. "Did he say why he thought that?"

"No. I'm sure it was because of last night though. I must've scared him. Kim said that she talked to him too, and that she told him the same thing - that we'd never do that, but that he didnt believe her because he's not biologically related."

"Damn. That's… tough. How did he react when you told him that we'd never do that?"

"He was relieved. Everything's been normal since, I just feel awful about the situation. I was trying to do right but I ended up making Edward feel uncomfortable."

I rest my hands on Peg's shoulders.

"You didn't do anything wrong. You love your kids, you didn't want them to get hurt. Edward… Edward hasn't had much contact with people and I'm sure he feels confused by what happened to his father. Don't blame yourself."

"It's hard not to."

"I know. But don't. Edward believed you. That means that he trusts you."

"I guess so. It just seems like there's so much going on lately."

"It's overwhelming, I know," I agree. "But we'll get used to it."

Peg shakes her head.

"After Edward's surgery things will be difficult. I'm afraid that there will be complications, or that I'll do something wrong unintentionally. Or that maybe I'll be too stressed to handle things right."

"Hm, well, Edward would get his surgery in a couple of weeks, right? Kim's going to be home all summer. Kevin too. They'll be there to help you."

"Yeah." Peg pinches the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then she forces herself to stand up straight. "Thank you, Bill. I need to start on dinner."

"How about I take us out to dinner instead," I suggest. Peg shouldn't have to cook if she's as stressed out as she seems. "Just let me change my clothes. I smell like swamp."

Peg seems slightly amused by this.

"That would be great, Bill. Thank you."

I give her another kiss, this time a peck on the lips.

"No problem, honey. It's the least I can do."

00

_Peg's perspective_

Bill took everyone to the local Chinese restaurant. It's not my favorite but it's better than having to cook myself.

We're given a private booth in the corner.

At home, we always say a prayer before dinner. We don't do it when we're out, though. Nonetheless, I feel like if there's any time for it, it's now.

As everyone digs into their food I quietly close my eyes, just for a few seconds, and pray that everything will work out.


End file.
